Daughter of the Potions Master
by Rowanera
Summary: How would a child raised by Hogwarts' icy potions master turn out? Torn between two sides of a war and trying to finish her schooling, Rowan finds that staying neutral isn't as easy as you'd think. Link to the sequel: /s/13341838/1/Daughter-of-the-Potions-Master-II
1. Prologue

Prologue

Rowan looked up at the photo in her hand, then up at the matching house in front of her. It wasn't very impressive, but she'd spent hours staring at the photograph. She shivered in the wind and looked up at the moon. Excitement coursed through her and she dashed up to the front door, sliding a bit on the muddy lawn. She knocked and waited but there was no answer.

Fighting disappointment, she shivered again-it was freezing out here. She glanced back up at the house and plucked up the courage to open the door. Peering inside, she couldn't see anyone or much of anything. There was a little bit of light coming from the other room, where voices emanated in low tones. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and crept forward toward the next room, flinching as the floor creaked loudly beneath her feet. The voices hushed instantly.

A man and two women moved quickly into the room and stared at her. The man had hair down to his shoulders, which was black. His eyes were also black and reminded her of the woods at night. His expression was full of confusion, anger, and what looked like a little fear. The first woman had long, straight hair that was blonde, almost white. She had a pretty face and was tall and skinny. The second woman had dark curly hair and scary eyes. She looked irritated at the interruption and had a long, skinny piece of wood in her hand.

She handed the man the letter in her hand and took a step back anxiously. Their eyes on her didn't feel friendly, but she had come too far to turn back. He finished reading and stared at her, the letter hanging limp in his hand.

The dark-haired woman looked from Rowan to the man and let out an insane bark of laughter, "Does that letter say what I think it does Snape?¨ She had an evil grin on her face and looked angry and happy at the same time. He gave a slight nod, too stunned to argue. She let out another cackle and whispered something to the other woman. The blonde woman looked stunned for a moment but when she looked at Rowan, it was with a peculiar expression. While the dark-haired woman looked at them it was with obvious disdain, the light-haired woman looked at them with envy.

Rowan was confused, she had tried to read the letter but when she looked at it, it was blank. Its contents were a mystery to her and everyone's reaction only made it more confusing.

They all stood still for a few tense moments until she involuntarily shivered again. The blonde woman looked at Snape and he nodded at her, still not functioning quite right. The woman took her by the hand and she allowed herself to be steered through more rooms.

"My name is Narcissa. Your name is Rowan, right?"

Rowan nodded slowly, still uncertain.

¨How did you get here? Who sent you?" Narcissa asked gently. Rowan only stared at her. The truth was, she couldn't remember much beyond the trip here. But she also wasn't sure she trusted these people.

Narcissa led her to the bathroom and flicked one of those pieces of wood at the large claw-foot tub and it filled with steaming water. Her mouth fell open a little bit; it had filled like magic. She was hesitant to strip, but the warm water looked so inviting and she longed to get cleaned up. Her desire for warmth won out and she peeled off her dirty clothes and stepped cautiously into the tub.

Narcissa washed Rowan's hair gently and left the rest for her to do herself, clearly aware of the boundaries the child had put up. She held up a towel and allowed Rowan to step into it before drying her off. For a moment Rowan felt guilty about her silence; this woman was being nice to her. They trekked to another room and Narcissa flicked her stick at the closet, which was empty, doors gaping open. Then it was suddenly full, hangers swaying gently as if there was a breeze. She handed Rowan a nightdress, which she slipped into gratefully. It was soft and silky and most importantly, clean.

Narcissa pulled back the covers on the bed and watched as Rowan slipped in.

She leaned down, "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe." She kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Rowan wasn't completely at ease yet, but she found herself trusting Narcissa. She was also exhausted and despite her nerves, she fell asleep quickly.

"Severus, she doesn't remember anything about before she came here. No more than her name. Who is she?"

"She's...mine," he said finally.

"So, you admit she's your child then?!" Bellatrix challenged loudly.

"Shh, Bella!" Narcissa scolded in hushed tones.

Severus said nothing, crossing his arms. Bellatrix's antics were wearing his patience thin.

"I suppose I'll be on my way then; the Dark Lord will be interested to hear about the latest development with his prodigal son," she gave an evil grin and disappeared with a crack.

"I need to go too Severus. But I would love to help you with her. I- I've always wanted a daughter," she admitted painfully.

"Of course. I'll be the first to admit that I've no idea how to care for a child. Your assistance would be much appreciated." He was stiff in admitting his shortcoming, but he seemed to be grateful for the offer of help. She beamed, her face alight with gratitude and excitement.

"Thank you so much Severus. I'll be sure to come by often," she said smiling beautifully.

"I'm sure she'll be glad to see you," he replied evenly. With that, she too disappeared with a crack. He walked to the bedroom where the little girl was fast asleep. Her breathing was slow and even, her dark curls tumbling around her face. She looks so much like her mother. He pulled the covers up over her shoulders and turned away.

When Rowan woke up the next morning, she didn't know where she was and jumped up with a squeak as if shocked. The man called Snape had been asleep in the rocking chair in the corner. Now he jerked awake.

"Sorry! I'm sorry," she apologized, upset with herself at having woken him.

"It's fine," he replied dully. "Really, it's okay," he added when she continued to look at him fearfully. He knew he was in way over his head already. "Come here," he said. She hesitated before sliding out of the bed and stepping forward tentatively. Still nervous, she tensed as he reached out to lift her onto his lap. Searching for the words to explain to her, "Did you walk here all by yourself?" I nodded. "Do you remember where you came from?"

"I can't remember," she replied, almost so quietly that he couldn't hear her.

His face was impassive before softening, "I'm sorry. But I promise you won't have to do that again." She looked at him, a glimmer of hope in her face. He continued, awkwardly trying to find the right words, "I'm your father. Would you like to live here with me?"

"My daddy?" He nodded curtly. She threw her arms around his neck, surprised and overjoyed. He was caught off guard by the burst of emotion, not to mention unaccustomed to affection.

"Come on then, let's get some breakfast," he set her down and stood stiffly. She jumped down and took his hand happily, which made him glance at her, but he didn't take it away.

They made their way to the kitchen and her father cooked them breakfast; it wasn't fancy, but it was passable and she was hungry enough that it didn't matter. Just after they had finished breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Snape, assuming it was Narcissa, allowed her to follow as he went to answer it. He glanced through the peephole and his posture stiffened before opening the door. Instead of Narcissa, it was a man. He had dark hair, and a handsome face. Rowan thought that it would have been a nice face, but there was something different, scary about it. At the sight of Snape, the face split into a malicious grin.

"So Severus, I see Bellatrix wasn't mistaken. A father."

"Yes, My Lord, please come in and I will explain what I can." They went back inside to the sitting room. She wanted to leave, but something inside told her she should stay. The two men began talking and she tried to listen while examining the man more. Something about him didn't sit right with her. Her father mentioned a woman, but left her name out of the conversation, seemingly on purpose. The man listened, but looked bored by the whole thing, his posture relaxed and aloof. After the conversation concluded, he turned his gaze down, where she was still tensely huddled in her father's lap.

"Come here child," he said it softly, but there was no mistaking the authority in it. This man was important. She turned to look at her dad and he nodded. Rowan slid off his lap and padded over to the chair. He looked her over and lifted her chin with a long finger. She remained stiff and gazed defiantly into his eyes; she had decided she did not like this man.

"She will certainly be beautiful when she's grown. I may have some kind of use for her in the future." He sat back in his chair so she scurried back over and scrambled back into the protection of her dad's lap. She stared at him from across the room. She didn't like how he talked about her.

He smiled, "Yes, I'll definitely have a use for this one. I trust this change in circumstance doesn't affect your allegiance Severus?"

Snape slowly shook his head, "Of course not my Lord." And without another word he disappeared.

"Come let's get you dressed," her dad said with a sigh.

"Who was that?" she asked fearfully.

"A very important man," he replied after a moment of thought.

He picked some clothes from the closet Nissa filled yesterday and handed them to her, clearly unsure of whether he should help her dress or not. She took them and dressed herself as much as she could; the clothes were much fancier than she knew what to do with.

She tugged on her father's robe, "Can you help me with the buttons?"

Later on, her father brandished a pair of dressy looking shoes at her, "Put these on."

"Where are we going Daddy?"

"We have a meeting to attend at the Malfoys'. Narcissa's house," he added, seeing her confusion.

She immediately brightened. "Nar-narissa's house?" she echoed excitedly, struggling to pronounce the name. He paused before nodding and then held his arm out.

"Okay, hold my arm as tight as you can and don't let go," he instructed. "Ready?" She nodded.

With a crack, they were gone. It felt like she was being squeezed on all sides and couldn't breathe. Then it was over. She gulped air and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry-I couldn't-breathe-and it was-tight!" she got out between gulps of air.

He exhaled, "No, I should have told you more about what would happen." He realized that didn't make her feel any better and added, "You did good though, you didn't let go." He wiped away her tears and took her hand. They walked up to a huge silver gate and her jaw dropped at the house behind it. It was huge, silvery white, and beautiful. She made to stop at the gate, but they passed straight through it and up the walk. There were large birds walking around the courtyard.

"Daddy what are those birds?"

"They're peacocks Rowan," he said. He said it plainly but the corners of his mouth turned up a bit. She wasn't sure what was funny, but she smiled too. They walked into the big house without knocking; everything was polished and shiny. She wanted to stop and look at everything, but didn't get much chance because they kept walking through until they entered a long room with a table and people. She shrunk down as she noticed all of the people until she spotted Nissa's blonde hair and dropped her father's hand, rushing over.

"Nissa!" Rowan exclaimed as she ran over. Everyone's head turned to look at her. Her face went red and she froze standing next to Nissa.

She pulled Rowan onto her lap, "Hi honey."

"This is your house?" she asked, still awestruck by the high ceiling and chandelier.

"Mine, my son's, and my husband Lucius'," she said pointing to a little boy on her left and the man to their right.

"Hi," she greeted him quietly; he didn't appear to be as nice as Nissa. He stared at her and then at his wife. "Are those your, um," she thought for a moment, "Peacocks outside, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked curiously. Her father, who had followed her over, smirked.

A dull flush rose in his cheeks and he said nothing until Nissa elbowed him, "Yes, those are mine." There were some snickers around the room but she continued on.

Her confidence was bolstered, "I think they're pretty! Just like your house! It's really shiny!" she smiled a little at him.

"Thank you," his voice was flat and he turned away before speaking.

"Shh!" someone hissed urgently.

Everyone stood as the door opened and the man from earlier walked in. He sat at the head of the table and everyone else sat after him. She peered around the person next to them but sat back when he met her eyes. He gave an amused chuckle.

"As you all have probably noticed, there is a new-ah- person joining us. May I introduce, Miss Rowan Snape." He seemed to enjoy making the announcement. Everyone exchanged surprised looks and craned for a look. Her father stood stiffly as everyone scrutinized them. She took the opportunity to check out the rest of the people gathered; the only familiar face was the other woman from yesterday. The woman smirked when she met her gaze. She gave Rowan a bad feeling in her stomach.

"Wormtail, take her to one of the rooms until we're done," the man dictated lazily. She noticed that the little boy had quickly disappeared. She looked to her dad and Nissa for help but they nodded solemnly. She reluctantly obliged and went with the new man, Wormtail. She wondered why he had such a strange name. He was short and didn't have much hair. His nose was pointed and he had eyes that looked like they would start crying. She could picture him as a mouse, but a worm? He led her out of the room and upstairs without saying anything.

Wormtail didn't say anything or help her up when she tripped on the last step of the stairs. He just stopped and watched and then kept going. He led her to a room that looked like no one had used it in a long time. It wasn't dusty or dirty, but everything was placed too perfectly. It was too new. He shut the door and left.

She looked around; the walls were pink and there were toys everywhere. In toy chests, on shelves and neatly lined on the floor. She eagerly dug through one of the chests and found a toy broomstick. Not knowing what to do with it, she tossed it aside. Also in the chest were more brooms like it and a few games. Another chest was full of stuffed animals. When she pulled one out it grew to full size, bigger than she was. Her jaw dropped and she squealed with pleasure. Trying to drag a stuffed kitten with her, she went to examine the books on the shelves.

There were junior spell books and bedtime stories and many others. She flipped through one of the spell books and noticed a spell that would make things float. Not sure what to do and feeling a little silly, she pointed at the big kitten.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" she commanded with as much force as she could muster. She gasped as the kitten rose off the ground and bobbed next to her. She wondered if there were more neat things like that in other rooms. She should go check; after all, no one had said she had to stay in this room. Her cat trailing behind her, she opened the door; there was no one in the hall or down the stairs. She stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Opening the next door, she peered in. Nothing that seemed like fun was there. A giant bed, two dressers, one with a mirror, and an enormous chest at the foot of the bed. She thought maybe inside the chest? She trotted over and tried to open it. It was really heavy, but slowly the lid began to lift.

Suddenly many loud cracks sounded and she was surrounded by people. They all had those strips of wood like Nissa and her father, all pointed at her.

Terrified, she looked for a familiar face. There! Nissa's husband. Lu...Lucius. She ran over and clutched his legs, the stuffed cat still trailing loyally behind her. Lucius pulled back, but another few cracks sounded and her father, Nissa and the man appeared. She scurried over to her father and looked up at him, afraid. She had obviously done something wrong. Everyone stared at her, tight-lipped and astonished.

"My Lord, how could she have-?" Lucius began, but the man cut him off.

"Come here," he ordered, crooking his finger. She walked over slowly, the kitten still bobbing along. "You did that?" he asked, pointing at the cat.

"M-m-make it float?" He nodded, and then so did she. "Is that bad?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

"Show me how."

She dashed out, glad for a moment away from everyone's' eyes, grabbed the spell book, and dashed back in. "With this," she stated nervously, pointing to the spell.

"Do it again." He snapped his fingers and the cat fell to the floor. She looked at the book again just to be sure, and then to the cat.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" she commanded again, and the cat rose back off the marble floor. There was a brief murmur from the crowd; everyone seemed impressed. Except for the scary woman, Bellatrix.

"My Lord obviously someone is interfering, she doesn't even have a wand. And even if she did, her powers wouldn't have developed at that level yet," she sneered.

He ignored her and glanced over at the heavy chest. "And how, did you open," he pointed, "that?"

She was confused, "I-I just opened it."

"Everyone out! Except Severus and Bellatrix!" She made to go out with Nissa and Lucius, but he called her back, "You stay." Then he spoke to Bellatrix, "That chest was protected by charms that I cast myself. We will make other arrangements for it's contents later."

She bowed her head and the man turned to her father, "And Severus, do you have an explanation for this?"

"No, My Lord."

"We will need to discuss this further later. For now, allow her to rest."

"Yes, thank you My Lord," her dad said with a slight bow. Her father took her by the hand and led her out. They went down the hall into yet another room. There was a bed with a bedside table and a dresser, and an open door leading to a smaller room that mirrored the first except for a small toy chest in the corner.

She looked at her father, "What's going on?"

"We'll discuss it later."

"Am I in trouble?" she asked fearfully.

He stared at her for a moment, "No, you aren't in trouble."

When she woke up the next morning her father was already gone from the next room. She got up and went downstairs, in the big room from last night there were already people eating breakfast. She sat in the empty seat between her dad and Narcissa and grabbed some french toast from the stack on the table.

"Where's everyone else Nissa?" she asked. She was curious, although she was more at ease with less people around.

"They were only here for the meeting last night. Until the next one it's just us."

Narcissa spent the day with her, playing with toys and reading her stories. When it came time to leave, she pleaded with her father to stay, "Daddy, I want to stay and play with Nissa!"

"It's time to go. We'll come back soon," he added hastily when she appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"Do you promise?"

He sighed, "I promise."

She visited Narcissa several times over the next couple of months, but she was glad that there were no more of those meetings; she didn't have to see the scary man again. And it seemed that Bellatrix had returned to her home as well because Rowan didn't run into her again either. She nearly had a meltdown when her father told her that she wouldn't be seeing Narcissa again for a few months; they were going to some place called Hogwarts.

"I don't want to go to Hogwarts," she pouted. "I want to play with Nissa."

"We have to go. I have a new job there and I'm not leaving you at Malfoy Manor for that long without me."

"Why not?" she demanded, stomping her foot.

"I don't- I'm not. Period. No arguing," his voice had turned icy cold and he glared at her frustratedly. Her lower lip trembled and she sniffled; he hadn't ever been mean to her before. He softened and seemed to panic, "Don't cry," he coaxed anxiously. "It'll be fun."

"How will it be fun?" she sobbed into his robes.

"Hogwarts is full of magic."

She sniffed, "Really?"

He nodded, "Everything there is magic; the food, the pictures, even the stairs."

"Okay." And that was that. She said a tearful goodbye to Narcissa, who gave her father a pointed look, but said nothing. Severus hadn't admitted to her that he didn't feel safe leaving Rowan behind, but Narcissa had an inkling. Still, Narcissa took Rowan shopping for her own trunk and some toys to take with her; something to play with but nothing extravagant enough to evoke Snape's fury. No matter, as Narcissa was already plotting to save those gifts for Christmas.

Things went well until it was nearly November. Her father woke her up early and dressed her, as she was too sleepy to do it herself. He bundled her up in her coat and dashed out of the room without his own. He carried her all the way down to the village where he warned her that they were going to apparate before quickly disappearing. He sat her at the breakfast table and gave her some pancakes before dashing out. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she ate her breakfast gratefully after stripping off her thick coat. The dining room was empty and a little intimidating; she hoped Narcissa would come down soon.

Wormtail came in before she was finished with her breakfast.

"The Dark Lord wants to see you now," he said.

"M-me?"

"Yes. Move." She scurried after him to a room with a fireplace, armchairs, sofas, and bookshelves.

The Dark Lord was sitting in one of the armchairs. He gestured to the sofa and she sat down, avoiding his eyes. He didn't say anything, only looking at her intently. She was wondering what was going on when images flashed in her head. It was like a movie behind her eyes; of herself walking through the woods, through town on her way here. The letter and picture that were her only guides. A quick flash of a white house in a village, and a sharp pain in her head.

"No!" she screamed. She covered her face and curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her face as she felt a wall in her mind start to crack. She flung up mental shields to get him out of her head, to keep the wall intact. No matter what, she knew that she couldn't let him get through.

The Dark Lord recoiled as all of a sudden, he was rejected from the girl's mind. She had forced him out. She had forced him out. He couldn't believe it. She uncurled from her ball on the sofa and fled from the room clutching her head, tears flowing. She slammed into Severus on her way out the door; he looked terrified and angry. Her father scooped her up and hurried off, leaving the Dark Lord furious that Severus had failed to address him for a stupid child.

The day was nearly over and she was still curled up on the bed. Narcissa was trying to find a spell to make her head stop hurting. Her dad was in the corner brewing a potion he hoped would help. She had a sinking feeling that nothing they tried would help. She could feel the barrier in her mind now. And she could feel the cracks in it that man, the Dark Lord, made by trying to get inside her head. She didn't know what it meant, or why it was there, but she knew that she needed to keep him out. She never wanted to see that man again.

All she could do, for now, was wait and hope the pain would go away with time. Hopefully it would be soon. Tears still ran down her cheeks, Nissa and her father knew not to try and talk to her. She couldn't respond.

"Severus! Narcissa! The Dark Lord! He's gone! The Potters, that little boy!" shouted Bellatrix urgently.

"What about the Potters?" her father asked urgently.

"What do you care? They're dead! Except that little boy! Without his protection, surely we'll be thrown in Azkaban. We need your presence immediately."

Severus' face went blank instantly before he gathered his words, "Narcissa, stay with her? I'll be back later; Lucius can brief us after. I need to go speak to Dumbledore. Surely you understand?"

Narcissa nodded but Bellatrix exploded, "Why do you need to talk to Dumbledore?! The Dark Lord is dead, there's no need for that anymore! Unless you're just a dirty traitor! You scum!"

"Bellatrix! Do you really believe the Dark Lord could be defeated so easily? I need to continue to follow the Dark Lord's orders until I receive orders to do otherwise. If your loyalty to the Dark Lord falters so easily I could easily question your allegiance as well." With a snarl, she flounced out of the room.

"Narcissa, I'll be back soon." She nodded. He kissed Rowan's forehead as lightly as possible and apparated out of the room, streaking like a bolt of lightening to Godric's Hollow.


	2. Extended Prologue-Part 1

She clutched her father's hand and bounced on the balls of her feet as they appeared the middle of the village. There were shops everywhere; her eye fell on a large candy store and a brightly colored store with toys in the window.

"Can we go there?" she asked eagerly.

He followed her gaze, "No. No Zonkos."

"What about the candy?" she pleaded.

"Later." She sighed and pouted; it had only been a couple of months since she started living with her father, but she had already figured out that arguing wouldn't do much good. She quickly forgot about the candy shop as they walked briskly through the village and the castle came into view. Her mouth fell open; it was enormous, the biggest thing she'd ever seen. It was even bigger than Malfoy Manor. High towers sprung toward the sky and what looked like a million windows glinted in the September sun. The lake gleamed and she squeaked as she saw a large tentacle dip beneath the surface.

Her father followed her gaze, "Stay away from the lake unless I'm with you." She nodded her understanding, eyes wide, desperately searching for more.

They entered through a set of giant doors into a large room dominated by a wide staircase. Torches along the walls washed the room in warm light.

"Severus, welcome!" A tall man in a pointy hat swept down the stairs, arms spread wide. "Your things are down in the dungeons; I'm sure you remember where Professor Slughorn's office was; after all, it was only a few years ago that you were last here," the man chuckled.

She hid behind her father's robes and eyed the man warily. He had long hair and a beard to match, both shining silver in the torchlight. His hat was covered in stars and his boots had several shiny buckles.

The man crouched down and peered at her over his glasses, "This must be Rowan." She stepped out a bit and nodded, though she was still clutching her father's robes in her fist. The man held out a hand to her, which she accepted cautiously. His hand was soft and warm. "My name is Professor Dumbledore. Nice to meet you Rowan."

She met his gaze and found his blue eyes full of warmth, "Hi!" She grinned at him. "Is this your castle?" she asked eagerly.

He chuckled again, "Not quite, but Hogwarts is beautiful, isn't it?" She nodded enthusiastically. Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands together, "Well, I'm sure you two need to unpack, so I shall see you at the feast."

Her father took her by the hand and led her down some stairs. Now everything was made of stone; the torches on the walls cast shadows down the corridor and the air had a chill. She pressed in close to her father and tugged on his robes. He glanced down and she held up her arms in a silent plea, eyes wide and fearful. He averted her eyes and continued walking until she clutched his robes and sniffled in the cold air. He reached down and swept her into his arms. She gratefully burrowed into his neck and shut her eyes.

He set her down once they reached a room; it was cold and empty, but her father's trunk rested in the center. He flicked his wand at the empty fireplace and a fire erupted, warmth creeping toward them. Her own trunk was nowhere to be seen. It had been with her father's when he'd whisked their things away from their house this morning.

"Where's my trunk?" She asked fearfully. What if her things were gone? Nissa had bought that trunk for her; it was purple with a silky silver lining on the inside and it had all of the pretty clothes and toys Nissa had bought for her in it too. Her father looked puzzled, he looked briefly into another room at the back of the one they were in, but his face said it wasn't there.

He strode across the hall and opened another door, "Here. Professor Dumbledore has given you your own bedroom." He tone was a little sharp.

"I don't want my own room!" she protested. "I want to be with you Daddy! Like at our house!" He sighed, but a hint of satisfaction crossed his face as she wrapped herself around his legs.

"I'll make you a deal; you unpack your toys and clothes in your room, and they stay there, but you can stay in my room whenever you want. Just like at home."

She considered for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Deal."

"Go on then, get unpacked," he shooed her into the room. She carefully arranged her stuffed animals on her bed and the books her father had bought for her on the bookshelf. He had been surprised that she could read already but hadn't asked any questions; mostly he was eager to buy her books. She still preferred it when he read to her, even if it was somewhat reluctantly. There was even a small stepstool in the closet, so she was able to hang the clothes Narcissa had bought for her carefully in the closet.

Thinking for a moment, she tugged a green cloak out of the closet and wrapped it around her shoulders; she didn't want to cover the outfit Nissa had helped her pick for her first day at the school, but it was cold down here. She gently placed her lockbox with the photo of their house in it on the desk and she was finished unpacking. She didn't have much, though Narcissa had certainly tried. Her father had forbidden Narcissa from buying her "frivolous junk." So instead, Narcissa had stuffed her own house full of toys for Rowan to play with when she visited.

She opened the door a crack and peered out. Gathering her courage, she darted across the hall and threw herself through the door before anything could reach out of the shadows and grab her.

"Are you unpacked already?" her father raised an eyebrow. She nodded quickly. "Alright then. Wait until I'm finished, and it will nearly be time for the feast."

"The feast?"

"The school makes a big dinner to welcome the students," he replied absently, unpacking his trunk.

"Am I a student?" she asked curiously.

"Not quite; I'm a teacher and you're here with me. But you're welcome too, don't worry," he added hastily, seeing the look on her face.

A half hour later, she was seated next to her father at a long table at the head of a huge dining hall. She was seated precariously on a stack of books so she could see over the table, which came in handy as she stared open-mouthed around the room. Candles floated in midair over four long tables, each with a colored banner hanging over it. The tables were currently empty, but the plates and silverware shined in the candlelight. There were several eccentric looking people seated at the table with them, including the man from earlier, Professor Dumbledore. She had waved to him eagerly when they'd entered, and he had replied with a small smile and a quick wink.

She'd noticed that all of the others at the table were older looking than her father. The youngest looking of them were a short, slightly dirty-looking woman and a thin, timid-looking man with no hair. There was also a very short man, with fluffy white hair sticking out from beneath his hat, a woman with eyes that appeared very large behind her wide round glasses, a man who appeared to be missing several limbs, but had an impressive moustache, a woman with short, spiked, silver hair and fierce yellow eyes, and even a man who she suspected must be a giant.

She was currently fixated not on the people, but on the gaping hole where the ceiling should be, which was getting dark and already full of stars.

"Daddy why isn't there a roof?" she pointed, and several heads turned their way.

His face flushed and he glanced around nervously, "There is, it's magic. It looks like the sky outside." He spoke quietly, as though afraid someone would hear them, even though they were at the very end of the table.

"What's wrong Daddy?" He looked as though he wanted to say something, but he only pressed his mouth closed.

The large doors burst open and a flood of students burst in. They filed through the door, talking and laughing, dispersing to the four tables. The volume in the room rose to a roar. She had never seen so many people at once before. A slight figure caught her eye over the table cloaked in scarlet. A pearly figure was drifting over, followed by several others. Her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat; she snatched her father's sleeve but didn't take her eyes off the ghost nearest to her.

Her father glanced down and followed her gaze, "Relax. It's just more magic. Ghosts are like people; they won't hurt you." He untangled his sleeve from her fist as he noticed Rowan had caught the eye of several students. Fingers were pointing and hands were covering whispers. Severus tensed; some of these students had been here when he was in school; he was certain they would recognize him. Rowan didn't seem convinced that the ghosts were safe; she kept her eyes on them until the door at the side of the hall opened.

A huddled group of children, younger than most of them already seated, filed into the hall in a neat line behind a stiff-looking woman carrying a wooden stool. The woman set the stool in front of the staff table and Rowan noticed a raggedy hat resting on it.

Enraptured, she watched as it moved, opening its brim like a mouth. She realized delightedly that it was singing a song. It was singing about Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws, whatever those were. She grinned and sat forward, listening intently, but most of the song made no sense to her.

When it had finished, the woman stepped forward and unfurled a scroll of parchment, "When I call your name, have a seat and put the Sorting Hat on." She began reading names off crisply and one by one, the kids each trooped up to the stood with varying levels of confidence. Some trembled and others looked eager, confident, or nearly sick. For each one, the hat would shout out one of those four words, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. She realized that each word led the kids to one of the four tables.

She tugged her father's sleeve, "I want to do that." He shushed her and she sat back in her seat, arms crossed. After the last student had scurried off to their seat at the Hufflepuff table, Professor Dumbledore stood. All eyes turned to him and the woman picked the stool up and carried it away. Rowan sent a glare at the back of her father's head and slid out of her seat. Several students noticed her, but no one dared to interrupt Professor Dumbledore. She slipped into the room just after the woman briskly marched out.

It was some kind of trophy room, the walls covered in glass cases that held shiny trophies and medals. She wanted to look around, but in front of the fireplace rested the battered stool, the hat carefully placed on top. She eagerly trotted over and hauled herself onto the stool, placing the hat on her head. It was so big that it covered her whole face, falling all the way down to her chin. It smelled a bit musty and she crinkled her nose.

"A bit small to be wearing the Sorting Hat, aren't we?" a voice spoke in her head. She lifted the brim and peeked out; there was no one in the room with her.

"Are you a ghost?" she asked fearfully.

There was a chuckle in her ear, the hat had laughed, "Not quite. I'm the Sorting Hat, but don't you think you're a bit young to be sorted?"

"No!" she argued. "I'm big enough, I want to be a student too!"

The hat chortled again, "Very well then, let's take a look-see." The hat was quiet for a few moments, "Hm, there's a bit to unpack here; you've got some mysteries to unravel, that's for certain. So much potential though; I haven't seen anything like you in quite some time. Now you've certainly got a brave heart and passion, ferocity; it runs in your blood doesn't it? Ah, but so does that Slytherin cunning, doesn't it? No lack of wisdom either, even for one so small; a bright mind and a fast learner, so perhaps Ravenclaw? I sense a good heart and the strong desire to be good as well, so Hufflepuff wouldn't be a bad fit either." The hat seemed to be enjoying itself, although Rowan didn't quite understand what was happening. "Perhaps you're too young to be determined yet, but if I had to say-"

"Rowan!"

She heard her father's voice and the door burst open. She peered out from underneath the hat's brim. Her father marched into the room, followed by Professor Dumbledore and the woman from earlier. Her father practically snatched the hat from her head and looked rather pale, "What were you thinking?" Clearly, she had done something wrong.

She twisted her hands in her lap, "I wanted to do it too. I want to be a student."

"You're too young for sorting; it's bad enough-" he caught himself and turned to Professor Dumbledore who seemed to be discussing something with the hat.

Dumbledore straightened, "No harm done Severus, not to worry." The two exchanged a look and the woman whisked the hat away. Rowan wanted to protest, but her father's tone gave her pause; he had sounded near panic when he snatched the hat away. Dumbledore gave Rowan a reassuring smile.

They returned to the Great Hall and Dumbledore continued his speech, "As I was saying; a few of the older students may remember Severus Snape, who will be replacing Professor Slughorn as the Potion's Master this year. Accompanying him is a special guest, his daughter Rowan. Give them a warm welcome and let's get on with the feast!" He took his seat and when she looked down, the tables were laden with food. Warmth and delicious smells wafted toward them and her father fixed a plate for her before his own.

She watched him intently, "I'm sorry Daddy. I didn't mean to be bad."

He sighed, "I know. But don't just wander off like that. I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry," she replied earnestly.

"It's alright. Eat," he placed her plate in front of her. The woman returned to the Great Hall once again and Rowan noticed she gave her a sharp glance as she returned to her seat. Rowan slid down from her stack of books and her father made to rise.

"Rowan, where-"

"I'll be right back Daddy," she scurried along the table to the woman's seat beside Professor Dumbledore. She tugged lightly on the woman's cloak as the rest of the table looked on curiously. She clasped her hands behind her back anxiously, "I'm sorry." Rowan couldn't meet her fierce gaze but Professor Dumbledore patted her gently on the head.

"Not to worry little one, it's not the first bit of mischief we've seen here at Hogwarts and it won't be the last." She noticed the woman was wearing a green cloak like her own.

She held out her hem, "We match!" She grinned, feeling a bit better.

"You two are practically twins, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said good-naturedly. This got Rowan a small smile from Professor McGonagall, so she hurried back to her own seat before her dinner got cold.


	3. Extended Prologue-Part 2

They were staying at school over the Christmas holidays, to Rowan's dismay. She had wanted to visit Nissa over the holiday, but her father had been sullen and moody since Halloween. He was in short temper with everyone, Rowan included. He was never mean to her, but he would often lose his patience and send her to bed early. She had even been sleeping in her own room, which her father also seemed bitter about, but he said nothing. She had taken to wandering the castle rather than spending time with him after classes and risking one of his moods.

She had finally gotten a sense of where things were in the castle, although she still got lost when staircases moved or walls shifted, as they tended to do. She had stumbled across several hidden passageways in her explorations or when avoiding some of the students.

Her father's short temper hadn't gone unnoticed in class and some of the students were grateful for the opportunity to take out their frustrations on the smaller of the two Snapes rather than confronting her father. When Rowan had turned up at the end of the day with a skinned knee after being tripped by a second year, the girl responsible was nearly expelled by her father before Professor Dumbledore intervened. No one laid a hand on her after that, but there were still taunts and teasing, which she was afraid to tell her father about, so she avoided certain people whenever possible.

She did, however, sit in on classes. She'd been caught sidling into the back of Transfiguration classes so much that she now had a designated seat where she could observe. Herbology and Charms were fun to sit in on too, but despite her father's temper, Potions was still her favorite. She loved to sit on her father's desk and watch students fiddle with the flames, cut ingredients, and carefully stir their potions. She longed to try it herself, but her father had been in such a foul mood lately that she hadn't asked. Better to not risk being told no. For now, she satisfied herself by listened to the soft simmer of the cauldrons and watching intently.

Two days before Christmas she plucked up the courage to ask her father to help her write a letter to Nissa; if she couldn't visit for Christmas, it was the next best thing. He sighed, but agreed, unable to say no to her hopefully wide eyes. He sat in front of the fire with a quill and parchment and transcribed her letter to Nissa as she dictated. He even helped her sign it by herself, wrapping his hand around hers and tracing out her name.

They trudged up to the owlery and she cheered as fat snowflakes drifted in through the ceiling, "It's snowing!" Her father gave a shrill whistle and a sleek black owl fluttered down to them. "Is that your owl Daddy?" she asked, gazing awestruck at its sleek feathers.

"Yes. Be careful; he'll bite," he warned as she shuffled closer.

"What's his name?"

"He doesn't have a name."

"That's silly, everyone has a name," she argued playfully.

"Well, you name him then," he snapped. She stepped back and shuffled her feet; he glanced over and looked guilty. He seemed to regret snapping at her. "What do you think we should call him?" he asked softly, affixing the letter to the owl's leg.

"He's very pretty. We should call him Lux," she suggested quietly.

"Lux? Where did you come up with that?"

"Nissa likes pretty things," she said simply. "She called them 'lucks-sherries.'" Her father stared at her for a moment before bursting out laughing. He laughed so loudly that several birds shuffled overhead and fidgeted anxiously. His own owl took off indignantly, her letter to Narcissa strapped to his leg.

She went pink and fidgeted; her father hadn't so much as smiled in nearly two months and now he was laughing so hard there were tears rolling down his cheeks. His laughter subsided and he bent a knee and held his arms out. She rushed into them, desperate for the affection; it had been too long since he'd held her.

When he finally let her go, she realized the laughter might have stopped, but his tears hadn't, "Daddy, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Lux it is."

They spent the rest of the day in the Great Hall with the other Professors, who were decorating cheerfully. Everyone seemed surprised to see them there, but pleasantly so. Professor Dumbledore was leading in singing Christmas carols while Hagrid lugged in Christmas trees, humming along under his breath. Professor Flitwick was leaving trails of multicolored bubbles along the trees like garlands, which she watched eagerly. Professor Sprout seemed to be giving the Christmas trees pep talks and Rowan would swear that they straightened up a bit as she walked away from them.

She dashed in and up to Professor Dumbledore, "What can I help with?"

He knelt and handed her a box of Christmas baubles, "I think Professor McGonagall could use some help putting these on the big tree. Do you think you could help her?" His tone was very serious, so it must have been an important job; she accepted seriously and carefully took the box. Perhaps she was too careful in her tiptoeing over because she stumbled on the steps and lost her balance. She sucked in air, bracing for the fall, but it never came.

She opened her eyes and found herself suspended over the steps. She glanced around, looking for whoever had saved her, but no one was paying attention; they were all absorbed in their decorating and her father and Dumbledore were in the middle of a conversation, their backs to her. She carefully picked herself up and re-gripped the box, this time making it all the way.

"Thank you, Miss Snape," Professor McGonagall gave her a small smile.

"Can I help you put them on the tree?" she asked eagerly.

She paused for a moment before nodding, "Are you ready?" Rowan gripped an ornament in each hand and nodded. She gasped as Professor McGonagall raised her wand and Rowan floated into the air. McGonagall directed her around the tree with her wand and Rowan carefully placed each glass bauble until there were none left, when she touched down lightly on the floor.

"That was amazing! Daddy did you see that?" She went pink as everyone turned to look at her, but it didn't stifle her excitement. Her father shriveled a little bit, but no one laughed or smirked; they seemed rather pleased.

"Thank you for your help," McGonagall said kindly.

"Thank you for making me fly," she laughed happily before darting back over to Professor Dumbledore and her father, "What else can I help with?"

"Well, we're nearly decorated now," her face fell, "But I could use some help with the Christmas spirit. Sing with me?" Dumbledore began leading again and Rowan complied, marching around the hall, singing all the words she knew and making up the ones she didn't. This got some laughter out of the other Professors, particularly when she tried urging her father to sing with her. Flushed and tight lipped, he shook his head. Even if he wouldn't sing, Christmas was shaping up to be better than she'd thought.

In fact, when Christmas morning dawned, she burst into her father's office early in the morning to wake him and stopped dead in her tracks. She suppressed a squeal of excitement and rushed over to their small tree, as close as she could get anyway. There was an inpenetrable circle several feet in diameter around it, composed solely of gifts wrapped in shiny paper and elaborate bows.

"Daddy!" she called eagerly as she sprinted to his sleeping chambers.

"What?" he groaned irritably.

She paused, a puncture appearing in her bubble of excitement, "It's Christmas Daddy." She twiddled her fingers, "Happy Christmas."

He yawned and opened an eye, "Oh, is it Christmas? I'd forgotten."

"Yes! How could you forget?" she asked incredulously. She tugged his hand, "C'mon, presents!"

He wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her in, "I don't think I'm ready to get up yet; let's go back to sleep for a while longer." He pretended to snore.

"Daddy, no!" She strained against his arm, which was dead weight over her torso. He chuckled slightly and let her go, sitting up and stretching. She didn't wait this time and ran out of the room, back to the heaping pile of gifts.

When he finally stepped out of his quarters, he froze, "Narcissa." He cursed under his breath.

Rowan lifted a big one into the air, "Daddy, look at this one! Can I start now?" He waved a hand as a go-ahead and Rowan tore into her gifts ravenously. He sat at his desk and watched her face light up as she unwrapped a toy broomstick, a gobstones set, a pack of exploding snap, several large stuffed animals, and an array of nice clothing. His heart sank; he hadn't planned on Narcissa stepping in at this level. Rowan wouldn't likely look twice at his gift among all of these expensive presents and who could blame her.

He was mid-sigh when she shrieked happily. He looked up, expecting to see some expensive toy, but instead, she was brandishing a junior potion-making set, his plain wrapping job torn to pieces on the floor.

She rushed over to him, "Can I really make potions Daddy?" He nodded numbly and she beamed, "I'm gonna be just like you!" She set the kit carefully on the desk; a place of honor among all the toys strewn across the floor. She finished opening her gifts, the last being a large bundle of sweets, before sidling up to him with a large poorly wrapped gift in black paper.

"This one is for you Daddy," she said, suddenly shy.

He chuckled, "Where on earth did you find black wrapping paper?"

"I asked Professor Dumbledore for help; I thought it was your favorite color," she explained bashfully. He couldn't help but chuckle at that and carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside was a portrait that he presumed was meant to be the two of them, clearly done in Rowan's own hand. It had a small purple handprint in the bottom right corner serving as her signature.

"Do you like it?" she asked anxiously. "It's like the ones in Professor Dumbledore's office, even though mine doesn't move."

"It's a wonderful gift; thank you," he said graciously. He thought it best that it didn't move, as he wasn't sure that the figures could be considered human, but he kept that to himself.

By the time he had picked up all of the wrapping paper scattered across his office, Rowan had already cleared a space and torn into the potions kit. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, cauldron in front of her, eyes bright. He felt a surge of pride; of all the toys, she was most excited about his gift, about potions.

"Here, let me help," he offered.


	4. Extended Prologue-Part 3

Part III

After her eleventh birthday, Rowan began waiting by the kitchen window every day.

"You're sure it's coming?" she asked her father anxiously, craning her neck to look outside.

"It's coming, you need to be patient," he replied absently.

"I just can't wait! Once I get my letter, I can finally get my wand, go to classes, for real and not just sitting in; I can be properly sorted!" she reeled off eagerly.

"Being sorted isn't all it's cracked up to be," he said more firmly. She thought he seemed anxious; was he nervous that she might not be in his house?

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" she prodded quietly. She didn't really want to be in Slytherin; it seemed like every student she'd had problems with over the years came from Slytherin. But she was also afraid her father would be angry if she went into Gryffindor; he seemed to dislike the Gryffindor students the most.

"You won't be," he replied firmly. Was he disappointed? His face was unreadable.

"What if-"

"It doesn't matter what house you're sorted into," he interrupted. "You decide what kind of person you want to be. So don't worry about it too much, okay?" She was quiet for a moment; that wasn't what she was expecting.

"You don't want me in your house?" she asked curiously.

She thought she saw a small smile, "I think I would favor you a bit too much."

It wasn't until several weeks later that her letter arrived; she tore it open eagerly; she never received any mail, but it was addressed to her. Inside, she read the words hungrily, eager for the validation that her home for the past eight years would be welcoming her back as a student this time. She skimmed the supply list and begged her father to take her to Diagon Alley that very day.

She skipped victoriously down the street and darted into the Leaky Cauldron, her father striding in behind her.

"Hi Tom!" she waved cheerfully at the innkeep, who grinned and waved back. When her father walked in ten seconds later, Tom sobered and gave him a curt nod. She hurried through the pub and out the back door, pacing the alley until her father caught up and tapped the brick with his wand.

The wall opened up and she was face to face with Diagon Alley. She sprinted down the street, trying to see everything at once. It wasn't her first time here, but she had never been allowed to wander and explore; every time they came she found something new and exciting. She caught sight of Ollivander's and made a sharp turn, darting in through the door, the little bell jingling as she entered.

"Ah, Miss Snape, good to finally meet you," a soft voice crept out from the stacks.

She jumped and turned, blushing, to face the man emerging from the shelves covered in piles of wands in narrow boxes.

"Do I know you?" she asked, surprised that he knew her name.

"No, my dear, but I know you. You strongly resemble your father; I remember selling him his wand at your age. Walnut with a dragon heartstring core, thirteen and a half inches, unyielding. Let's see if something similar works for you; a place to begin if nothing else."

He handed her a rather long wand, made of medium colored wood and gave her an encouraging gesture, "Walnut, phoenix tailfeather, thirteen inches." She gave it a small wave and he quickly yanked it away, muttering. "Try this one," he gave her another wand, "Oak, dragon heartstring, twelve and a half inches." She raised it and he snatched that one away as well. "Hm," he paused for a moment, "How about this one?" He handed her another, this one shorter and lighter in color. "Willow, unicorn tail hair, ten inches." A stack of wands tumbled down next to her, and he ignored it until one of the fallen wands brushed his boot. "Perhaps," he thought for a moment, stooping to pick it up, "Here." She accepted the wand, this one made from a darker wood. It felt like electricity surged through her fingertips; she gave it a small wave and the stack of wands righted itself and straightened. She grinned and Mr. Ollivander looked pleased. He wrapped up her wand in some paper and she suddenly realized that she had no money. She had assumed that her father would be in right after her, but he still hadn't caught up.

"What kind of wand is this one?" she stalled.

"Mahogany, phoenix tailfeather core, eleven and a quarter inches," Mr. Ollivander reeled off easily. "Curious really, most children share wand attributes with at least one of their parents, but you-"

"You know what kind of wand my mother had?" her heart thudded in her chest.

"Well yes, I sold it to her, many years ago of course-"

"Rowan! There you are!" Her father marched in the door and her heart sank; she had been so close. Her father never told her anything about her mum.

"Sorry Dad," she muttered sheepishly.

"Have you found your wand?" She nodded and Mr. Ollivander held out her wrapped box, which she accepted gratefully. Her father paid for it and they bid him goodbye. She sent a wistful backwards glance at Mr. Ollivander, who watched them leave, a curious expression on his face.

They progressively went through her supply list, stopping in Flourish and Blotts for her textbooks and a few extra books she managed to sneak in and restocking their supply of Potions ingredients. She already had a cauldron and phials, so she tried to convince her father to let her get a pet instead.

"It says first years can have a cat!" she mentioned tentatively.

"No."

"Why not?" she pleaded.

"I don't like cats."

"What about an owl?" she pitched.

"We already have Lux, why would you need an owl?"

"Alright, a toad then?"

"Do you even really want a toad?"

She paused, "No."

"No way! You walk right through the wall?" she verified.

"Yes. Now come on, before we hold up traffic," her father ordered briskly.

"Absolutely brilliant," she muttered to herself as they shoved her trolley toward the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. They emerged seamlessly, her eyes hungrily taking in their new surroundings. Students and their families were bunched into groups, returning students were hugging their friends and new ones were clutching their luggage and pets anxiously. Trolleys rattled, owls hooted in cages, and cats mewed from their owners' arms. She glanced at a handsome ginger cat that was struggling to free itself from a young girl's grasp.

"You're sure I can't-"

"No cats," he said firmly. She sighed, but continued gazing around. The scarlet train dominated the scene, puffing smoke. She couldn't help but grin; she'd waited years to be able to ride the Hogwarts Express. Her grin faltered a bit when she noticed the wide berth the other students were giving them; whispers were flying and even the fresh-faced first years were sending them some fearful glances. Word the Professor Snape was on Platform 9 and ¾ had travelled fast.

"Let's get your things onto the train," her father grabbed her trolley and began pushing it alongside the train.

"I can do it," she rushed over and tried to reclaim it; this year she wanted to be more than mean Professor Snape's daughter.

"It's heavy, let me help," he wouldn't give it up. They loaded up her luggage and stood on the platform awkwardly.

"I'll see you at school then?" she asked hopefully. To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug.

"Have fun." He released her and quickly left the platform; she had a sneaking suspicion he had teared up; his voice had sounded rather thick, although he would never admit it. She bounded aboard the train and searched for a place to sit. The train was filling up quickly as eleven o'clock approached; many compartments were already full. Finally, she found a compartment with only two girls in it and to her relief, they appeared to be first years as well.

"Er, mind if I sit with you?"

"Help yourself," one of them replied; she had pretty hair, done in a French braid.

"I like your hair," she complimented. "My dad is hopeless as that sort of thing, so I'm a bit jealous," she laughed.

"I could do yours for you if you'd like," the girl offered kindly. Rowan eagerly accepted and the girl continued, "I'm Angelina, by the way. Angelina Johnson."

"Alicia Spinnett," the other girl volunteered.

"My name's Rowan," she purposefully left out her surname, in case they'd already heard about her father. They'd find out at the Sorting, but maybe she could make them like her before then.

"So what house are you guys hoping for?" Alicia piped up.

"I'm hoping for Gryffindor," Angelina said confidently.

"Me too!" Alicia squealed.

"I thought Ravenclaw might be nice," Rowan mused. It seemed like a good neutral party between Slytherin and Gryffindor. "But Gryffindor might be good if you guys are there," she grinned.

Hours later, their hair was all done in French braids and they were happily snacking on treats from the trolley. They heard a loud bang from a few compartments down and Rowan stuck her head out the door curiously.

"What was-" She was interrupted as two stocky boys with identical flaming hair and mischievous grins came barreling down the corridor, laughing hysterically. They threw themselves past her, in through the open door and Alicia made a face.

"Can we help you?" Angelina asked irritably, moving their chocolate frogs so they didn't get squished.

"We just need a place to hide from-"

"A little late for that," Rowan said coolly, returning to her seat. There was another, taller, red-headed boy, glasses dangling off of one ear and covered in what looked like pumpkin pasty, marching down the corridor.

He straightened his glasses before poking his head into their compartment, "If you two don't straighten up, you'll be expelled before you've even been sorted," he threatened. "And I'll be writing to Mum and letting her know that you two are jeopardizing my chances of making Prefect next year." He huffed and left the compartment.

"What did you do to him?" Rowan asked curiously.

"We slipped a firework into his pumpkin pasty," one of them grinned. Angelina guarded their hoard of sweets more carefully. "Must be off though, more havoc to wreak and all that." The two of them marched out. The girls shared a look and burst out laughing; whatever house Rowan was in, she half hoped those boys were in it too. Things wouldn't be dull with them around.

A couple of hours more passed and the sky outside grew dark and the lanterns inside their compartment had lit themselves. Their sweets long gone, they were growing hungry and tired, sick of being cooped up for so long. She had always just appeared in Hogsmeade in moments when she came to school with her father; she hadn't imagined it would take this long by train.

Finally, the castle came into view. She, Angelina, and Alicia crammed up against the window to get a look. Hogwarts looked as magical as ever, its windows glowing with warm light and the moonlight reflecting off the lake. It was far from her first time seeing it, but her stomach still skipped with excitement. She would be a student at last. The train slowed and finally chugged to a halt and they eagerly pressed their way out the doors, ready to stretch their legs. She heard a voice she recognized as Hagrid's, hailing the first years.

"Follow me now, firs' years this way!"

She sidled up to him, "Where are we going, Hagrid?"

"Oh, 'lo Rowan. You'll see wit' all the rest. I best not spoil the surprise. 'S tradition yer know."

She scooted back in between Alicia and Angelina and realized they were approaching the lake. What was tradition? Were they going to have to swim? Because frankly, she was still a little afraid of the giant squid and the older students spent a great deal of time speculating about what other sorts of creatures resided in the lake, none of which made her too keen on getting into the water. She breathed a sigh of relief as she caught sight of a fleet of small boats bobbing on the water.

"No more 'in four to a boat now, e'eryone in!" Hagrid called. The three of them filed into one of the boats carefully and were followed by a heavyset boy, who appeared rather anxious. He put one foot in quickly, as if trying to get the ordeal over with. The boat gave a swift wobble and the boy panicked, letting out a small squeak and trying to hurl himself inside it. He lost his balance and toppled into Angelina, who let out a shriek and the boat gave another nasty wobble.

"Calm down now!" Hagrid called out from his own boat.

The boy heaved himself to the other side in an attempt to balance the boat out, but the momentum caught him and he crashed over the edge. Rowan was relieved for a split second that the whole boat hadn't capsized, but it was short lived as the boy burst back out of the water and tried to heave himself over the edge, completely flipping it.

There were three shrieks as they were tossed out and crashed into the freezing water. Icy coldness crept into her brand-new robes and soaked her nicely braided hair. She broke the surface and caught sight Angelina and Alicia doing the same.

"Where did he go?" They shrugged, crawling up onto the bank of the lake. She realized with a jolt that he must not know how to swim; that was why he was so afraid to get into the boat.

"Rowan, get outta there, yer goin' ter freeze!" Hagrid bellowed. Instead, she took a gulp of air and plunged back under. It was dark and she couldn't shake the feeling that the giant squid's tentacles were lurking just out of sight. Luckily, the moon was bright tonight. She caught a glimpse of silver; the boy was wearing a watch. She propelled herself toward the glint of silver as it flailed through the water and tried not to think about the giant squid curling its tentacles around her. She reached out and struggled to grab the kid's hand as he thrashed in the water, but after several tense seconds, she was able to wrap her arms around his middle and drag him up to the surface.

He coughed and sputtered and thrashed, desperate to stay above the surface. She lugged him onto the bank and hauled herself up, shivering and wiping the water from her eyes. Hagrid flipped their boat rightside up easily and ushered them back inside, holding out a large hand to help the boy get in this time. Lake water sloshed around in the bottom, but none of them paid much mind, as they were already soaked.

Hagrid brandished his pink, flowery umbrella and the boats departed from the bank smoothly, carrying them across the dark lake. Under normal circumstances, she would have been ecstatic, what a way to make an entrance to their sorting. But now she would be sorted soaking wet, cold, and miserable. The four of them shivered in their boat until they touched on the other side of the lake and dismounted, the boy eager to be on land again. They trooped up to the castle and into the entrance hall, where Professor McGonagall waited for them.

She took in the four of them, sopping wet and dripping onto the flagstones and pursed her lips, "What happened?" Hagrid stooped and muttered in her ear. She pressed her lips tighter, "I see." She gave a crisp flick of her wand and there was a hiss of steam as their robes dried.

"It is time for the Sorting Ceremony," she began without missing another beat. "You will each be sorted into your respective houses, which I expect you will be a credit to. Follow me." She led them into an antechamber and bid them to wait as she departed. They could hear the roar of the Great Hall as she exited the room and they waited anxiously, muttering and speculating about what the sorting would be like. She supposed she was lucky that she knew what was ahead of them, especially as the twins from earlier guessed that they would be fighting a dragon and a girl squeaked that her older sister told her you have to take an exam in front of the whole school. She knew she should probably tell him that there was nothing to worry about, but she had to admit that she enjoyed their crazy ideas. They would see soon enough.

Professor McGonagall re-entered and beckoned them to follow her into the Great Hall. They filed out in a line, met with the sight of a familiar battered stool on the ratty Sorting Hat resting on top of it. Her heart gave a heavy thud, as if to remind her that the time had finally come to be properly sorted. She had come close many years ago, but now it was time to find out which house she belonged in. She listened intently as the Sorting Hat burst into its traditional song; she had heard many over the years but she was almost too nervous to really listen this year. Once the song was over, Professor McGonagall stepped up and unfurled the scroll of names.

"When I call your name, approach the stool and try on the Sorting Hat. Once you are sorted, take your seat at your respective table. Once everyone is sorted, the feast will begin." She began reading off names and one by one, students trembled their way up to the stool and put the hat on. Angelina was the first familiar face to go up and she got her wish; the hat called out Gryffindor. She grinned widely and gave Alicia and Rowan an excited thumbs up as she trotted to the Gryffindor table. Name after name was called until finally, Rowan heard her own.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and called out, "Rowan Snape." A burst of whispers broke out among the tables; Professor Snape's daughter was finally being sorted. She caught her father out of the corner of her eye as she approached the stool; he was sitting forward in his seat, fingertips tented, eyes alight. She gulped and took her seat, placing the hat on for the second time in her life. It slipped down to her nose, fitting significantly better than it had the first time she tried it on, but still much too large. She wondered absently why they didn't use a hat that fit.

A soft laugh echoed in her ear, giving her a sense of déjà vu, "Welcome back Miss Snape, it has been a while hasn't it?" The hat paused for a moment, "It's not often that I get to take a second look in a student's head." He seemed to be thinking, likely sorting through the depths of her brain, which felt odd. She often wondered if her father could read her mind, but this felt entirely different. "Not much has changed I see," the hat mused. "Still so much potential to be explored." She thought anxiously about what house she would be in; she didn't want to disappoint her father, but she also wanted to end up where she belonged. "Your father eh? You know, he is one of the few that makes me wonder if I made the right decision." She gulped; the Sorting Hat could be wrong? "Don't be so quick to write me off, my dear. I can assure you that you would thrive in any of the four houses; the student decides what kind of person they want to be, not what house they are in." That sounded astonishingly like what her father had told her over the summer.

"Now let's see; that Slytherin ambition is still present I see, although it's strongly outweighed by the fierce desire to learn, so I'd imagine Ravenclaw would be a better fit than Slytherin." Her heart felt a bit lighter and she realized she had been afraid of ending up in Slytherin. She just never felt like she could get along with the Slytherin students; it even felt like she and her father were vastly different some days. "Loyalty and a true heart, but what really stands out is that bravery; coming from both your mother and father, I can't say I'm surprised. Even earlier tonight you demonstrated bravery in helping that boy in the lake, didn't you?" She gave a start of surprise; he knew about that, and he too apparently knew who her mother was; it was starting to feel like everyone knew but her. But she hadn't been trying to be brave when she helped that boy, she didn't want the poor kid to drown. But she had been afraid, hadn't she? "Yes, I think it had better be; Gryffindor!" The hat shouted the last word loud for the whole hall to hear and there was a polite cheer; it seemed like many were surprised; they likely expected her to be placed in her father's house.

She slipped off the stool and carefully replaced the hat on top of it, nearly skipping to the Gryffindor table. She felt such an overwhelming sense of relief over something that she hadn't even realized she was afraid of. She had spent so much time wondering where her father would want her, that she hadn't even considered whether she wanted to be in Slytherin or not. She glanced anxiously at the staff table, expecting to see her father upset or angry. She was surprised to see that he looked relieved, if not a little proud. The sorting continued; she watched as Alicia and that set of red-headed twins were sorted into Gryffindor as well. The twins were the last to be sorted and Professor McGonagall briskly took the stool and the hat out of the hall.

Once she returned to her seat, Professor Dumbledore stood and spread his arms wide, "Welcome back all, to another year at Hogwarts. And welcome anew to all of our new first year students. I have but a few rules to go over before we start the feast; I know you are all eager to dig in and I'm certain the kitchens have outdone themselves this year. First; for our new students, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students, due to the dangerous nature of the creatures that reside there." She saw the twins share a look. "Also, no magic in the corridors please. Second order of business; I'd like to welcome Professor Charity Burbage as the new Muggle Studies professor while Professor Quirrell is out getting some hands-on experience. Now, without further ado-" Professor McGonagall stood to whisper something to Professor Dumbledore. "Ah, it has come to my attention that now that the first years have been sorted, there are some house points that need awarding. For Miss Rowan Snape, ten points to Gryffindor house, for her quick thinking and bravery during an incident at the lake earlier this evening. Now, let's dig in!" A quick cheer rose from the Gryffindor table and several hands patted her on the back; that was an early lead for Gryffindor and no one could remember house points being awarded so early in the term. The gleaming plates in front of them were now filled with delicious smelling food, which everyone dug into eagerly.

After dinner, she found herself gravitating toward the dungeons, where she had always resided before this year. She realized her mistake as she was nearly in front of her father's office, her face burning. She was just thinking that it was lucky that no one was there to realize her mistake, when she met her father in the corridor.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," she grinned at him.

"I suppose they do," he said curtly.

Her grin faded, "Are you cross with me? I'm sorry I'm not in your house-"

He seemed to catch himself, "I am a bit cross with you, yes." She froze until she saw a half-smile on his face, "Can't have you earning points for Gryffindor, can I? You'd better get to your common room before I dock you points for roaming the halls."

She grinned, "Good night Dad."


	5. Extended Prologue-Part 4

Part IV

Rowan and the twins lugged their trunks off the train and onto the platform, heading towards the hoard of redheads waiting. A plump woman was embracing Charlie while a smaller boy and girl stood off to the side. Fred and George tried to skulk past their mother without being noticed, to no avail.

She released Charlie and pulled them in by their collars, "Good to see you boys; I hope you two have been behaving?" The last bit sounded vaguely threatening; Rowan hoped the twins hadn't told their mother that they'd all met in detention.

"Mum!" George protested.

"You're embarrassing us in front of Rowan!" Fred complained.

She dropped them both and crushed Rowan in a hug, "Oh yes, Rowan, so good to meet you my dear!" She glared daggers at the twins over their mother's shoulder and they smirked at her. If she was being honest, she didn't get a lot of hugs, so she sort of appreciated it, but she would never admit that to them.

"Good to meet you Mrs. Weasley," she exhaled as she was released. "And thank you for allowing me to visit for Christmas." Her cheeks went a little pink.

"It's no trouble at all dear, I'm just glad that Fred and George have finally made a good friend. Perhaps you can be a good influence on them." Percy, who had just marched up, scoffed and was promptly pulled into a hug like the others.

"Come on then, let's get this circus moving," George directed, marching off with his things in tow.

When they arrived at the Burrow, she stood transfixed in front of it. It was not as fancy as Narcissa's house, but it was far from the doom and gloom of her home on Spinner's End. She loved her home with her father, but it set the bar pretty low. The way the Burrow teetered and towered its way into the sky was incredible; it felt magical and unique.

"I know it's no Malfoy Manor," George teased as they trooped inside.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, looking a little hurt.

"I was only teasing Mum! Because Rowan has been there!"

"I think it's lovely Mrs. Weasley," Rowan insisted, elbowing George in the ribs. It was true; where Malfoy Manor was polished and pristine, the Burrow was homey and comfortable. The Manor felt like vacation, the Burrow felt like home.

"That's sweet dear," Mrs. Weasley didn't seem quite convinced. "Have you spent a good bit of time at Malfoy Manor?" she asked lightly.

"A bit, yeah." Rowan replied nervously. "Narcissa has been kind to me, ever since I was little." Her face got hot; clearly it was a touchy subject.

"No need to worry dear, I only ask because Arthur works with Lucius at the Ministry," she covered.

Rowan made a face, "Lucius can be-well, a bit of an arse." The twins burst out laughing and Mrs. Weasley couldn't help but crack a smile. "I don't get on all that well with their son Draco either; he'll be starting Hogwarts next year."

"He must be Ron's age then; he starts next year too," Mrs. Weasley mused as the smallest boy on the soft looked up at the mention of his name.

"Well Mum, if you're done interrogating out guest, we've got things to do," Fred jokingly accused. Mrs. Weasley went a bit pink and the twins each grabbed an arm and frog-marched Rowan up the stairs.

"I'm expecting you boys back down to decorate later! And the door stays open!" she called after them. They marched her into a bedroom on the third floor and shut the door behind them. The room had dark curtains pulled over the windows and two twin beds; one on either side. There were a few Quidditch posters plastered to the walls and not much else.

"What do you think?" George asked.

"It's a little bleak, honestly, you're sure this isn't Percy's room?" she teased. "Where's the personality?"

"Oof, Fred, she doesn't think we have personality," George clapped a hand to his heart.

"I think you two have personality, but I'm not seeing that in this room," she laughed.

"We did take some inspiration from Percy's room," Fred said silkily. "We've never been much for decorating."

"You see, our 'personalities' are offensive to some in this house. Namely, Mum," George began.

"And Percy," Fred finished.

"So we take precautions." George yanked the rug over and carefully lifted a loose floorboard, revealing a treasure trove of Zonko's products and other pranking paraphernalia.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. The twins grinned. "You lot have been holding out on me! How did you get these? You can't go to Hogsmeade until third year!"

"We convinced Charlie to pick us up a few things last year," Fred explained.

"We can be very persuasive, you know," George winked at her. She felt her cheeks get hot and hoped her face hadn't gone pink.

"I've gone to the village a few times, but my dad never even lets me look at Zonkos," she said wistfully.

"Worry not, my sweet summer's child," George said dramatically. "Because we know a way that we can all partake in the next Hogsmeade weekend."

"I'm listening," she raised her eyebrows.

"You know that statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor?" Fred muttered, as if worried someone might be listening. With Percy's room across the landing, it was likely a possibility. She nodded eagerly.

"If you give the password, 'Dissendium,' her hump opens up. Next thing you know, you're in the Honeydukes cellar," George grinned.

"I can't believe I never figured that one out! I knew that witch looked suspicious," she berated herself.

George's grin widened, "Which one's have you found then?"

They spent the next two hours swapping secret passageways and shortcuts while flicking gobstones at each other.

"Fred! George! Time to decorate!" Ginny called up the stairs. The twins groaned, but Rowan stood eagerly.

"What? You two don't like to decorate? C'mon, it'll be fun!" She dragged them out and they trundled down the stairs after her. "What can we help with Mrs. Weasley?" she asked cheerfully. Mrs. Weasley seemed taken aback at her enthusiasm; based on the twins' expressions, she probably didn't see much of it.

"Ginny and Ron are helping me in the kitchen, Percy is tidying up, and Charlie is out getting the tree; Fred you go help Charlie and George, you show Rowan where the decorations are, you two can do the tree."

George led her out back to a small shed where boxes and miscellaneous items were piled high. An entourage of broomsticks were leaned up in the corner, some broken and bent. They appeared to be the only thing that was visited in here. George handed her a dusty box from a pile and pulled down another for himself. She felt a slight tingle on her wrist and caught sight of a spider crawling up her sleeve. She let out a small yelp and pitched the box into the snow, swiping at her sweater.

George howled with laughter, "You can't really be afraid of spiders! You're as bad as Ron!"

Her cheeks got hot, "I'm allowed to be afraid of something!" She snatched her box and marched back toward the house.

"Rowan! I was only teasing, don't be mad," he pleaded, dashing to catch up to her.

"I _am_ afraid of them George, sorry I'm not as fearless as you!" she huffed.

"I'm not fearless," he muttered.

"She glanced at him, "Really? What are you afraid of then?"

He looked away, "I've heard stories about You-Know-Who." He seemed embarrassed.

"That's a reasonable fear," she reassured him. "But so is being afraid of spiders!"

George grinned, "Fine, fine, I yield."

"I'll make you a deal Georgie; you protect me from the spiders and I'll protect you from You-Know-Who," she said simply.

"I think I'm getting a real deal here; you don't have to be afraid of spiders ever again, I'll protect you so well," he laughed.

"I think I'm the one getting the deal, considering that my end of the bargain is gone," she grinned.

George sobered again, "Folks reckon he'll come back someday."

She smirked at him, "Well when that happens, you can count on me. Deal?"

"Deal," he held out his pinky. She grinned and took it in her own. Inside, Charlie and Fred were standing up a large Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

"What took you so long?" Fred demanded. "The shed is like ten meters away! You lot weren't out there snogging were you?" She and George both went pink and George sent Fred a rude gesture behind his mother's back.

"Mum! George is making obscene hand gestures," Percy tattled.

"George! You best not let me catch you doing anything of the sort! And in front of company!" George glowered and Percy and his mother until Rowan dragged him over to the tree with her.

"C'mon! I need you to open the boxes and check for spiders," she grinned at him. He held up his end of the bargain and she sang along to Christmas carols on the radio as she decorated the tree. Her enthusiasm seemed to be infectious; pretty soon the twins and Ginny were singing with her and Mrs. Weasley was humming along faintly. Pretty soon the tree was covered in baubles and trinkets and glistened with tinsel and garland. She carefully pulled the star from its home in the box; it was old and slightly chipped, but it was lovely. This was her favorite part of decorating.

She climbed up onto the sofa and stretched, "I've- nearly- got it!" There was a loud thump and she heard Fred protest before she was thrown off balance by a pair of arms around her middle.

"Here! I've got you!" It was George. He had leapt up next to her and given her the lift she'd needed to reach. She laughed with the remainder of the air in her lungs and was able to slip the star onto the topmost branch just before the pair of them gave a wobble and tumbled onto the sofa in a heap. The others doubled over in laughed and she found herself tangled up in George's arms, the pair of them face to face. Her face got hot and George's neck went instantly red as he released her and she scrambled off of him.

"Smooth move George," Fred cackled. George somehow managed to turn a deeper shade of scarlet, but luckily Mrs. Weasley called for dinner, hiding a smile herself.

"Your father should be home any minute, but let's not let the food get cold," she fussed around the table as everyone took a seat.

Rowan muttered to George as she sat between him and Fred," Thanks for helping me." She gave him a small smile before flicking her wand at Fred's fork under the table. They passed the food around and Mr. Weasley walked in just in time. He took off his hat and cloak and settled in at the head of the table, piling up his plate.

"Glad to see everyone home for Christmas," his eyes fell on Rowan. "Seems we've got one extra, who's this?"

"Arthur dear, that's Rowan, Fred and George's friend from school. I told you she would be staying for the holidays," Mrs. Weasley tutted.

"Ah, yes, of course," he nodded knowingly; clearly he had forgotten.

Finally everyone had their food and it was time to dig in. Rowan paused before taking a bite to watch Fred; he had scooped of a large forkful of potatoes, but as soon as they neared his mouth, his fork gave itself a wrench and mashed them into his chin. She and Ginny shared a look and Rowan winked at her before taking a bite of her dinner. The food was amazing, better than her father or the food at Hogwarts by far.

"So Rowan, who are your parents? Anyone I'd know?" Mr. Weasley asked conversationally.

"Severus Snape," she muttered quietly. Her father's name didn't usually get a good reaction from people; she avoided mentioning it when possible.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Mr. Weasley leaned in.

"Rowan's dad is Professor Snape, Dad," Fred interjected.

"Ah, I see," he seemed to understand. She sent Fred a grateful look and gave her wand another flick, returning his fork to normal. There was a brief moment of quiet before Charlie started talking about the last Quidditch match and then the table was bursting with conversation. The twins were eager to brag about their positions as beaters on the team; they had been ecstatic when Oliver Wood chose them, although their gratitude had quickly run out when he ran them ragged with practice sessions. Ron and Ginny had a million questions about being on the school team; they wanted to go see a match, which Mrs. Weasley assured them they would when they were old enough to go to school. The table was full of energy and comfort, in addition to the fantastic food.

Once they were finished, Rowan stayed back and offered to help Mrs. Weasley clean up. She tried to decline, but Rowan was already gathering dishes from the table.

"It's the least I can do to thank you, Mrs. Weasley; dinner was amazing. My dad is a fair cook and I've been eating at Hogwarts for years, but this was the best meal I've ever had," Rowan went a bit pink.

Mrs. Weasley looked rather pleased, "Well thank you dear. We're glad to have you for the holiday. Er- will your father be visiting?"

"I think so; we usually stay at school over the holidays, but he went home this year so he could see me for Christmas," she mused.

"That's nice of him," she said pensively.

"Don't worry, I doubt he'll hang around long," she smiled weakly. Mrs. Weasley had looked a bit worried. "I know everyone thinks of him as a great, angry bat, but he's a good dad," she added thoughtfully. "I know it's probably hard to imagine-"

"People change for their children; Merlin knows, I did. I may not be able to picture it, but I believe it. You're very special to him," she smiled kindly. "Now why don't you go on and join the others, I can handle the rest."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," she felt a bit better.

She joined the twins, Ron and Ginny in front of the fire, where they were playing exploding snap, "I'll play winner!"

The next day dawned chilly and with a faint trickle of snow. Just enough that the twins managed to convince Mrs. Weasley that they would be hidden from muggle view if they went out to play Quidditch. They all bundled up in layers of warm clothing and trooped outside. They huddled around the shed as Charlie passed out brooms. Rowan stood back a bit as Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron grabbed brooms.

"We have an extra, come on Ro," George brandished a broomstick at her.

"Oh, uh, I'm good, thanks," she waved him away.

"No way, take it!" Fred urged.

"I can't. I don't know how to fly," she admitted.

"What?" George asked incredulously. "I thought you'd been excused from flying class because you had already 'achieved proficiency' or whatever!"

"That was a lie. My dad took me out of it," she would have blushed if her cheeks weren't already flushed from the cold. "He says flying is useless and Quidditch is for arrogant prats." The twins rolled their eyes.

"Well now's your chance to learn then," Fred pressed the broom into her gloved hand. "Come on, we'll teach you." They dragged her over to a little valley in the hills where Charlie, Ron, and Ginny were already zooming around.

"Oi, Charlie!" George called up. Charlie landed neatly in front of them. "Rowan needs a crash course in flying." He winked at her. Charlie raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any questions.

He showed her how to summon the broom and how to grip it properly. He demonstrated turning on the ground and then kicked off, urging her to do the same. She gave a quick push and inhaled sharply as she took off.

Between Charlie and the twins showing her how to move up and down, backwards and forwards, accelerate and decelerate, brake and dismount; her head was spinning, but she was having fun. Eventually, she started to get the hang of it and they tested her on the different positions. They lobbed a quaffle-sized ball toward her to see if she could block their shots; she managed to get five of the seven. She made a fair chased and a decent beater (she'd nearly clobbered Ron with their makeshift bludger, but she made a terrible seeker. She missed nearly every walnut they lobbed her way, but they reassured her that it was a difficult position.

By the time they all trooped inside at lunchtime, she felt okay at flying, though she was no Quidditch prodigy. She could at least play with the twins now. They stripped off their damp coats and gloves at the door and plodded upstairs to change. She was the first to return downstairs; Mrs. Weasley was preparing lunch, so she settled onto the sofa and wrapped a quilt around herself to get warm. Charlie was next to descend, shortly followed by the twins.

"Make some room!" Fred demanded as they sat of either side of her and spread the blanket across their laps. They were somehow already blazing warm.

"How are you two warm already? I'm freezing!" she complained.

"We're hot blooded," George grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was as they ate sandwiches for lunch. After eating, she was full, warm, and exhausted. The fire was crackling and the radio hummed; before she knew it, she had nodded off. She wasn't sure how long she slept for, but before she knew it, she became dimly aware of the conversation.

"I can't blame her for being exhausted; you two were running her ragged this morning," there was a laugh, that was Charlie. The weight on the sofa shifted and she heard someone snicker.

"Fred Weasley, if you do anything to that girl while she's napping, I swear-" Mrs. Weasley was whispering furiously.

"I'm not doing anything, keep your hair on," Fred defended a little too loudly. She raised her head numbly and realized it had been resting on George's shoulder. Everyone busied themselves so it appeared that they hadn't noticed. She straightened, cheeks burning.

"Sorry," she couldn't meet George's eyes.

"Don't-" George began.

"Have a nice nap?" Fred teased.

"Sorry Fred, you're just exhausting to deal with, you know. I don't know how your family does it," she redirected.

"So you're admitting you can't handle me?" he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, "I don't _want_ to handle you Fred." She nudged George, "George is clearly the better twin. He makes a great pillow too," she grinned.

She thought George looked a little pink, but he grinned, "Anytime."

Fred made a disapproving sound, "George, you're supposed to be on my side!"

She woke up early the next morning to the sound of Ginny tearing into a small pile of gifts at the foot of her bed.

"Happy Christmas," she said absently, examining a homemade sweater.

Rowan's sleeping bag had its own pile, which she eagerly ripped into. She had received a new cauldron from her father; his gifts were nearly always practical. From the twins she had gotten an assortment of Zonkos products, a few of which appeared to have some custom adjustments made to them.

When she unwrapped an amethyst-colored, handmade sweater like the one Ginny had and some fudge, she grinned, "Ginny, did your mum make these?"

Ginny nodded, "We all get them. You've got one more," she pointed at a small box she had missed in all the paper. It was from Narcissa; inside was a set of diamond earrings. Narcissa had been over the moon this summer when her father finally agreed to let her get her ears pierced. The studs were simple; Narcissa knew she didn't care for the dangly kind, but they were each about the size of a pencil eraser and they glittered brightly.

"Whoa! Where'd you get those from?

"Narcissa," she said numbly. Narcissa usually got her toys and games; she'd never gotten such a grown-up gift before.

"Well put them on, I want to see!" Rowan did as Ginny asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. "They're so pretty! You have to show them to Mum!" She slipped her Weasley sweater over her head before they went downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was already cooking breakfast and Mr. Weasley, Charlie, and Percy sat at the table chatting with Bill, who had arrived last night. They were all wearing Weasley sweaters.

"Happy Christmas-"

"Mom, look what Rowan got!" Ginny announced, pulling Rowan into the kitchen. Rowan felt her cheeks get hot and everyone looked around to see what the fuss was about.

Mrs. Weasley exhaled softly, "Those are lovely dear; a gift from Narcissa?" Rowan nodded faintly.

"Narcissa Malfoy?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yes dear, Narcissa and Rowan are friendly," Mrs. Weasley said airily, clearly trying to gloss over the subject.

"More than friendly from the looks of those," Percy muttered. Rowan's cheeks burned and the earrings felt like boulders in her earlobes.

"I'll be right back," she muttered as she hurried up the stairs. She took the earrings out and carefully put them away before returning downstairs. Fred, George, and Ron were now in the kitchen, trying to snag some bacon from the pan.

"Happy Christmas!" she said cheerfully to the twins, feeling better with the earrings out of sight. They strode over, wishing her a Happy Christmas as she hugged them.

"Where are these fancy earrings Ginny was going on about?" Fred inquired, peeking at her naked earlobes.

"Er- they were too heavy," she lied. The twins shrugged, but Ginny looked ready to argue.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Weasley called, not a moment too soon. They joined the rest at the table and dished out eggs and toast and bacon.

"Thank you for the sweater Mrs. Weasley," Rowan said earnestly. "And the fudge, it's my favorite."

"It was no trouble dear," she smiled kindly. Everyone chattered eagerly about their gifts as they ate; she noticed that every single Weasley child thanked their parents for their Christmas presents-far cry from the Christmas she'd spent with the Malfoy's a few years back. Her father had finally agreed to let her stay and it turned into a disaster; she had been home before Christmas dinner was served after Draco had a tantrum about getting the wrong type of broom. Her father had been rather smug about it.

"What did you get from your dad, Ro?" George asked curiously. "I can't picture Snape out Christmas shopping or wrapping gifts up with little bows."

"Professor Snape, George," Mr. Weasley corrected.

"He got me a new cauldron," she smiled wryly. "One I've been wanting."

"What? That's just school! It's like he gave you homework for Christmas!" Fred exclaimed.

She went a bit pink, "I like to brew potions outside of class too."

"It might be hard for you to believe Fred, but some of us actually enjoy learning," Percy added loftily. From there, the conversation devolved into squabbling and bickering, which Rowan was fine with if it meant the spotlight was off her.

Her father didn't make an appearance until later in the day, shortly before dinner. Unfortunately, he arrived just in time to see her catch her first walnut-snitch. Charlie had gotten a new broom from his parents; a big deal in the Weasley household. They had all rushed out to try it as soon as breakfast was finished, even Percy. She had snagged the walnut in her fist just before it hit the ground.

"I caught it!" she squealed proudly. "I caught the snitch!" She whirled around to brandish her fist triumphantly at the twins, who were cheering loudly, when she felt her heart stop. Her father was marching across the Weasley's lawn as quickly as the foot of crunchy snow on the ground would allow. He looked livid.

She zoomed down to the ground, landing a bit harder than she had intended and stumbling a bit as she dismounted, "Happy Christmas Daddy-"

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. His normally pale face was flushed and his jaw set.

"We were just-"

"Was I unclear about the rules regarding flying?"

Mrs. Weasley's head appeared in the doorway to the house to see what the commotion was about. Rowan glanced at the seven Weasleys suspended in the air, watching anxiously, "No, but-"

"So, you don't think you have to follow the rules then?" His voice was lowering, which for anyone else would probably mean they were calming down, but not her father.

"I only wanted-"

"Wanted to be a star Quidditch player? I've told you, Quidditch is for airheaded buffoons and arrogant toerags," he gestured at Charlie and the twins, still floating in the air.

"Hey, you can't-" her face went red, both from embarrassment and from anger.

"Don't presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Rowan," he replied icily. "Get your things; we're leaving." She sniffled loudly, her eyes welling up; she didn't want to go. She slouched her way inside, where Mrs. Weasley was back in the kitchen, preparing lunch. She bustled over to Rowan and pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's been a pleasure having you dear, you're always welcome here," she said gently.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," she replied thickly. She trudged up the stairs and gathered her things from Ginny's room slowly. Taking her time was the closest thing to defiance she could muster. When she lugged her things back down the stairs, the twins met her halfway and helped her with her trunk.

She heard Mrs. Weasley's voice from the down the stairs, "It's a bit harsh, don't you think Arthur?"

"There's not much we can do Molly," Mr. Weasley replied forlornly.

"Don't worry Ro, we'll get him back once term starts," George promised.

"Yeah, we'll spend the rest of break coming up with something really good," Fred added. Her heart sank; she would be spending the rest of break at home.

"Thanks guys," she said glumly. The rest of the Weasleys had trooped inside and were dripping on the floor, but Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to mind. There was a chorus of quiet goodbyes and Ginny rushed over to give her a hug. She wished everyone a Happy Christmas, hugged Fred and George goodbye, and slunk back outside.

Her father was waiting by the fence, only watching as she lugged her trunk through the snow. She kept her head down, refusing to meet his eyes. He stiffly held out his arm, which she reluctantly took. Back at Spinner's End, she dropped her trunk in the kitchen and marched up to her room. He could make her come home, but he couldn't make her spend time with him. She hated him. He'd embarrassed her in front of the Weasleys and ruined her Christmas. She didn't want to speak to him ever again.

She had missed lunch at the Weasley's, so by the time the evening rolled around, she was nearly starving. She thought bitterly about the Christmas dinner they would be having at the Burrow right now; it was sure to be fantastic. Her stomach gave a rumble, but still, she stubbornly stayed in her room, reading and painting to distract herself. Even when her father called her down for dinner, she ignored him, her anger reigniting.

Why shouldn't she be allowed to learn to fly like everyone else? She was tired of missing out on all the fun. Plus, her father seemed to enjoy Quidditch just fine when the Slytherin's were winning. He was a big, fat, hypocrite; maybe she would keep practicing in secret and become a world class Quidditch player just to spite him.

She heard his footsteps climbing the stairs and her heart thudded; she needed to remember how mad she was. She might have broken his stupid rule, but she hadn't done anything really wrong. There was a curt knock on the door and it opened without waiting for a response.

"Maybe you didn't hear me; dinner is ready," he said coldly.

She forced herself to meet his gaze, remembering how much fun she'd been having, how happy she was before he had embarrassed her, "I heard you."

"You need to eat," he replied, his voice a bit softer this time.

"I'm not hungry," she lied, praying that her stomach remained quiet.

"You haven't eaten all day," he argued.

"I'm not hungry," she repeated angrily. "Now go away."

"Come down and eat, please," pleading seemed downright painful for him, but it was exactly the weakness she needed.

"I said I'm not hungry and even if I was, I wouldn't want to eat with you!" He flinched, but she continued, "I was supposed to eat over at the Weasley's, but now I'm missing dinner, so I don't want anything!" She crossed her arms stubbornly, "Just leave me alone." She bored her gaze into his and willed herself not to cry.

"I'm sorry, but you broke the rules-"

"The rules are stupid! And unfair! Everyone else gets to learn how to fly at school and I have to sit out like a loser because my _Daddy_ says I can't! And I was having fun before you humiliated me in front of my friends!" Now she was crying and broke eye contact; she hated it when she cried. Her father chose his words carefully; he was never good with tears.

"Maybe that was unfair of me," he conceded. She was surprised at the admission. "But even if you don't agree with my rules, you still have to follow them. At the very least, talk to me before you go off doing whatever you want."

"Why do you hate Quidditch so much? You like the Slytherin team at school," she prodded, feeling out her boundaries.

"I like to win," he corrected, "But the vast majority of Quidditch players are pompous, arrogant-"

"And you think I'm like that?" she interrupted, feeling a little hurt.

"No, but-"

"I only wanted to learn to fly anyway, I'm a rubbish player," she said self-consciously.

He sighed, "You'd be better if I hadn't kept you from flying for so long." She waited quietly; she could feel his resolve crumbling. "I'll allow you to join flying classes on the condition that next time you disagree with my rules, you talk to me instead of breaking them." A slow grin crossed her face. "I'll admit I was wrong this time, but that doesn't mean all of my rules are pointless. Next time you break one, there will be consequences; I mean it."

"Does this mean I can have my own broom?" she asked eagerly.

"We'll see," he exhaled sharply. "Now let's go, it's not too late to get you back to the Weasley's for dinner."

"Didn't you already make dinner for us?" she asked thoughtfully.

"It will still be there when I get back-"

"I'll stay," she said quickly.

"You said you wanted to go back-"

"I'm staying."


	6. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Rowan, it's time to go! The meeting's starting soon!" her dad called down the hallway.

"I'm coming, hold on. It takes like, four seconds to get there!" she grabbed her bag off the chair and tramped down the hall.

"No cheek. Now let's go," he lectured.

She sighed and grabbed his arm. With a pop, they zoomed off. They hit the ground with a jolt, just outside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. She exhaled slowly; she'd gotten used to apparating long ago.

They strolled up to the building, "I don't even understand why I have to go-you won't even let me join," she grumbled.

"Hush, I'm not leaving you home alone, you know that. And you know better than to talk about that in the open," he scolded.

"Well if at sixteen I'm not old enough to stay home alone, I guess I'm not old enough to know better than that," she argued.

"Enough. We've talked about this," he said, ending the conversation. Rowan huffed, but left it alone. She could tell he was losing his patience.

Once inside she broke away at the stairs, skirting the curtained wall, "Have fun at your meeting. I'll be up here with the rest of the children." she whispered bitterly as she climbed the stairs. He shot her a scathing look but she had already ascended the stairs.

She chatted with Harry, Ron, and Hermione for a few moments before Fred and George slunk down the hallway and crept up behind her, "Lovely to see you again my dear," George muttered in her ear.

She grinned, but didn't turn around, "Are you sure? You haven't even really seen me yet; I could be covered in boils or horribly disfigured Georgie. For all you know, my loveliness could be at an all-time-low."

She could hear the smile in his voice, "That wouldn't be so bad, it would give everyone else the chance to catch up to you."

She laughed and whirled around, pulling both of the twins into a hug,

"Now, would you lot like to hear something a bit more interesting?" Fred said as the boys grinned mischievously.

"Yes, please," Rowan replied eagerly. They all tiptoed to the top of the stairs and gathered around the banister. They looked pretty peculiar; a bunch of teenagers huddled around a flesh colored blob that trailed down to the floor.

The adults were all arguing about something. They heard Harry's name a few times, Sirius' was arguing heatedly, Molly's sounded concerned, and her father was making snide comments directed at Sirius. He could be such a prat sometimes. There was a moment of quiet and then they heard chairs scraping and Fred hurried to reel in the string. He got it all just as the doors open and all the adults flooded out. They hurried back to their rooms as quietly as possible, but before he was out of sight, Rowan caught a glimpse of Dumbledore and could swear his eyes flicked up to where they'd all just been.

The kids all flopped on the beds to give the illusion of non-mischievous boredom.

Rowan launched herself onto the bed just as Mrs. Weasley opened the door, "Alright kids, the meetings over, time for dinner." With a sigh of relief, they all hopped up and tramped down to the kitchen to eat. Pulling Rowan aside, she whispered, "Oh, by the way Rowan, I spoke to your father for you," she made a face, seemingly involuntarily, "You can stay for the rest of the summer if you'd like. He agreed it would be safe for you here."

Rowan grinned, "Really? I've been working on him all summer; how did you manage?" Mrs. Weasley replied only with a warm smile before heading downstairs.

George had waited for her, "So you're going to stay right?"

"Of course, it's way more interesting here than it is at Spinner's End, and my father is only slightly more fun to be around than Sirius' mum, so I think I'll take the trade," she slung an arm around his shoulders and grinned. They made their way to the kitchen with everyone else and she took a seat in between the twins.

She loved being here. Tonks and her faces, Mad-Eye's lectures about "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Fred and George's business planning, Mrs. Weasley's cooking, in general, just the craziness of it all. She liked eating dinner with her dad and spending time with him, but it was quiet. There was energy here and she felt connected to everything that was going on. She wanted her family to be just like this.

The green countryside flew by, greens, yellows, and browns. The sky of September 1st was a bright sunny blue. Not that Rowan was sitting around to see it. She followed Fred, George, and Lee back to their compartment laughing hysterically.

"Did you see-the look-on Malfoy's face?" she choked out through her laughter. Lee and Fred couldn't answer, they were laughing too hard.

"I know, how about Crabbe and Goyle?" George said breathlessly.

"They didn't even know what happened until we were gone," Fred burst into hysterical giggles again. The troupe had gone into their compartment while they were changing and snuck Ton-Tongue Toffees into Crabbe and Goyle's snacks. Their tongues had swelled up huge while she and the boys "just so happened" to walk by. Multiple times. Rowan had acquired a muggle camera and took a snapshot each time they walked by. She was saving those for later; she was sure they could have some fun with them. The thought set her off on another mad fit of giggles and the boys followed suit.

They kept a low profile for the rest of the train ride. They planned some pranks, played Exploding Snap, and talked. Fred and George were her best friends. They'd been close ever since first year when she got detention for enchanting the Slytherins' pillows to dye their hair a different color each time they slept on them and they, in their second year at the time, got detention for blowing up Slytherin cauldrons during her dad's class. The connection was pretty much instant and they'd been closer than a hippogriff's feathers ever since. What seemed like just a few minutes later, the castle came into view. She grinned; home.

Inside, they watched the sorting. She loved the sorting; it reminded her of her own. The first years always looked so small, so scared. But over the next year they would become comfortable and boisterous like everyone else. During her own, she had been terrified of ending up in Slytherin. She'd lived here every school year that she could remember and she had always been terrified of the Slytherins. But she had ended up in Gryffindor, where her father said her mum had been. She wasn't afraid of the Slytherins anymore either.

The sorting was over and Dumbledore started his speech. She listened vaguely, shooting a mischievous grin to the twins when he reiterated the rules. They were familiar with the rules; many of them had been created solely for their own benefit. She wasn't paying much attention, but she definitely noticed when a stout woman in pink interrupted Dumbledore. No one ever interrupted him. He graciously allowed her the platform, but the other professors looked shocked; Professor McGonagall looked livid.

Listening to the beginning of her speech, Rowan got the gist of what she was saying; the Ministry never knew when to mind its own business. This Umbridge woman gave her bad vibes. She made a mental note to ask her dad about her later. For the rest of the feast she huddled over the table with Fred and George, planning. Umbridge would know who they were soon enough.

"What's with this new professor?" she asked her father indignantly. She had just finished classes after her first day with Umbridge. "She didn't let us do anything. We read out of our books for the whole class! We're not going to learn anything!" she complained.

"That's exactly what the ministry wants. You can't be allowed to know anything you could use against the ministry that would help Dumbledore. Fudge thinks he's trying to overthrow him," he answered disinterestedly.

"That's ridiculous! How are we supposed to defend ourselves against the Dark Lord? Fudge is endangering everyone and he knows it! What are we supposed to do?"

"You kids will have to figure that out for yourselves. As professors we can't do anything about the way she teaches. That's entirely her department, as much as I wish otherwise," for once he actually showed a bit of disappointment.

Rowan sighed, "Can't you teach me?"

"With you I may be able to make it slide but I can't teach everyone. So, this doesn't eliminate the problem. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore and find out what I can,"

"Thanks Dad, I'll see you in class tomorrow." she kissed his cheek and left.

In the Gryffindor common room, she reiterated what her dad had told her to the twins.

"At least you can still learn something, I feel so defenseless now," Neville lamented from the next sofa over.

"I could try and teach you guys what I learn, but even so, that's only four of us. What about everyone else?"

"We'll figure something out," George reassured her. She let out a frustrated sigh.

Up in the tower, she thought about their conversation. It was almost odd that Neville had joined right in, since he was usually so timid. She thought back to his first year at Hogwarts and realized how much he had changed. He was braver, more like a Gryffindor.


	7. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Weeks passed by and Halloween was approaching. As she neglected her reading inside the D.A.D.A classroom, she let her thoughts wander. She had been talking more with the twins about passing on her lessons to the other kids. Her dad had started working with her after classes were over, a little bit each night. They had shared the idea with Ron and Hermione and they thought it was great, but they all agreed that Harry should be in charge. She would help where she could, but all of the students respected and trusted Harry; at least the ones who didn't think he was a liar. They also agreed that it needed to be open to anyone who wanted to learn because they couldn't in all good consciousness leave out the rest of the kids. She knew better than anyone that the Dark Lord was out there and everyone was at risk.

They crammed in planning for their group in between all of the homework they were drowning in. The lessons were interesting but it was hard to pay attention when they were up late finishing assignments from every class. She was a natural learner, so she didn't typically struggle with her schoolwork, but the workload was bogging her down this year. Except for potions of course, she had certainly inherited her dad's talent for that. She was in the taking the seventh-year potions class instead of sixth and she still excelled. When her dad wasn't paying attention, she helped the other students as much as she could.

She found herself drawing up lesson plans for Harry to use and researching more spells to practice. She was excited; that was the one thing that she wanted to be like her dad in. She wanted to teach at Hogwarts more than anything in the world; she didn't even care what subject.

In addition to all the homework, she had also been helping Neville with his potions during their free periods. She didn't know what her dad's grudge against him was all about, but she liked Neville. He wasn't dumb, just awkward and clumsy. Plus, he was getting better every day it seemed. She was enjoying getting to know him; it turns out he's good at Herbology and with some work she was sure he could be good at things like charms and D.A.D.A.

He struggles the most with the things he feels intimidated by, like Transfiguration, Potions, her dad. She had apologized to Neville on her dad's behalf more times than she could count. She felt an obligation to compensate for her dad's behavior.

Neville was waiting for her outside the classroom; he knew she had a free period next. He asked her quietly, "So any idea what's going on with that 'thing'?" He put air quotes around the word "thing".

"Not yet, I'm talking with Harry and everyone Friday night. You should come."

"Okay cool, I'll definitely do that! And I was wondering-" He started stammering something out, but was interrupted by George, who swept over and cut him off.

"Hey, you want to hang out?"

"George, you interrupted Neville!" she scolded him before turning back to Neville, "What were you saying?"

"Er, no it's okay, you go hang out with George," he choked out, going red. He hurried away with his head down.

"George!"

"What?"

"Neville was going to ask me something!"

"So? He can ask later, it's not a big deal." He added in a mumble, "And if he doesn't, even better."

"What are you talking about? You're not usually this rude. What's going on?" she demanded.

"I heard..." he trailed off.

"Heard what, George?"

He took a deep breath, "I heard he was going to ask you out." Her heart skipped a beat, and she was caught off guard; no one had ever asked her out before.

"Wha-What?"

"Right? It's so crazy."

"No. Why would that be crazy?" she demanded icily.

"Because a girl like you wouldn't go out with a guy like Neville," he gestured wildly like he was trying to put two puzzle pieces together that didn't fit.

"What do you mean a girl like me? And why wouldn't I go out with a guy like Neville? Please enlighten me here," she demanded.

George was silent for a minute. It wasn't hard to tell that she was angry.

"Well you're-uh-well," he stammered.

"I'm what George?"

"You're pretty. And smart and funny." He said. At first, he was reluctant to spill but now that he'd started, he was on a roll. "You're nice, exciting, and vicious. You could take on anyone if you wanted to, but you're smart enough to pick your battles. You read people like books and you're beautiful-" he cut himself off like he'd said too much. He seemed to visually deflate on the last words. "Rowan, I-I like you. I have since your first year. I don't know what's wrong with me, I've never been this nervous to tell someone how I felt."

"George-" Now it was her turn to be speechless. She didn't know what to say. She loved George, but had long ago accepted that he would never feel the same way. She felt bad for Neville, especially since he had been on track to ask her first. It felt like George was only speaking up because he wanted to stop Neville.

"George," she began again. "I love you. But you're my family. You and Fred, you're the older brothers I never had. I don't know what I would have done growing up thinking that my dad was normal." she laughed a little and George gave a small smile. It killed her to tell him no; she could only imagine her past self if she had known what was coming. But she had spent three years making puppy eyes at George, hoping that she had a chance. "But as far as anything more goes, I don't think that would be fair to Neville. This is no fault of yours, any girl would be lucky to have you feel this way for them. Hell, if I had known-"

"I missed my shot," he interrupted, unable to hear any more. Rowan flung her arms around him in a hug.

"I'm so sorry George. " she whispered as she pressed her face into his chest. She felt a tear leak out, then a few more.

He gently pulled her back by the shoulders, "Don't cry. Please. I want for things to be the way they were. That's the best thing you can do for me if you don't return my feelings. Let us still be family."

"That I can do. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'm sure. Now you better go catch Longbottom before I do," he said with a small smile.

"George!"

"Kidding! Jeez, no need to be so defensive of your boyfriend."

"My what, Mr. Weasley?" she asked, doing her best impression of Professor McGonagall.

"Your. Boy. Friend. You heard me, Professor," he teased.

"Shut up George," she smacked his arm, grinning.

"Go on now," he shooed her away.

She turned to leave, but thought better of it for a moment. She dashed over and kissed George's cheek and then turned and ran to find Neville. Once she was out of sight, George stood with his hand on his cheek where she had kissed him and the tears finally fell.

Still feeling guilty about George, she walked down to the lake in hopes that Neville was there. He probably was, he could sit down there and look at plants for hours. She had joined him a few times.

As she walked through the corridors she thought about George. How could she have not known after all this time? Although to be fair, obviously he hadn't known about her feelings either and she thought they were painfully obvious. It stung a little to think about all the summers at the Burrow and time spent together here at school, they could have been together all that time. Looking back, so much more made sense; all the times she had caught him staring but never thought anything of it. Times when he and Fred had been whispering and stopped when she walked into a room. The awkward silences when the Yule Ball came around. The inside jokes Fred always made that had never made any sense. Bloody hell, he hadn't had a girlfriend since his brief stint with Alicia Spinnet after the Yule Ball. She felt stupid. How could she have not put it together? Usually she was so good at noticing that kind of thing. But then again, she hadn't thought Neville had shown any special interest in her either, she just thought he needed potions help, which, to be fair, he definitely did. Maybe she was just oblivious.

At the thought of Neville, her heart skipped a beat again. She smiled to herself and picked up the pace to the lake. Sure enough, she could see his silhouette down by the water. She dashed down toward him, veering slightly at the last second, ruffling his hair as she went by, laughing and plopping down at the base of a big tree.

"Find anything interesting for me Neville? And by interesting, I mean pretty. Not your definition of interesting. I don't need the whole plant population of the lake," she teased.

He smiled at her jab, and said, "Yeah, actually. What do you think of this?" He held out a flower. But it was like something out of a book; shimmery lavender, with long silky petals that ended in little fringes. It was starting to glow in the light of the sunset. It was beautiful.

"What is that?" she asked breathlessly.

"I don't know. I think it's a cross between the moonlace that was down here and something I planted. A new species," he said proudly. "I can't wait to show Professor Sprout!"

"It's the prettiest thing I've ever seen." she muttered, unable to take her eyes off it.

"I think it's the second prettiest thing I've ever seen," he whispered shyly.

"What could outshine this?" she asked, the reason she came down briefly forgotten.

"You could. Ten times over. Rowan, do you think, maybe, you might want to-"

"Yes." His face split into a wide smile and she grinned.

She laughed and then the two of them were laughing hysterically. She sat up and wiped the tears away and he did the same. She noticed the flower on the ground and quickly snatched it up to make sure it wasn't damaged. It seemed okay. Neville reached over and took it from her, but he only tucked it into her hair. He was so awkward and cliched, but she couldn't bring herself to be bothered by it. It was kind of nice.

She leaned up against the trunk of the tree and he followed suit, "You really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it Neville." After only a moment's hesitation he reached over and took her hand. They stayed there and watched the stars pop out of the sky as the light from the sun faded.

Once it got dark, they headed back to the castle. She was glad that fifth years had a later curfew, it was getting late and she didn't want Neville getting in trouble. She had better things to get detention for than being outside the castle at night. He took her hand again once we were in the castle. It made her realize that she'd never held a boy's hand before.

They arrived at the portrait hole and gave the password. He gestured for her to go through first with his free hand. Fred and George were in the common room with their test subjects for the Skiving Snackboxes. As she walked in with Neville, George's eyes flicked to their interlaced fingers. The hurt registered on his face and he stopped taking notes. Fred noticed his stiff sibling beside him and followed his gaze to the pair. He looked torn and started whispering to George, trying to snap him out of his stupor. Guiltily, Neville met George's gaze and turned away. His eyes found her face again and he gave her a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said with a small smile. She nodded and smiled back before heading up the stairs to her dormitory. She flopped onto her bed and sighed. She hoped that since she and George were friends before, they could be again. She hoped everything would work out.


	8. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Before breakfast the next morning, she walked briskly down to the dungeons. Might as well get this over with as soon as possible. Her father, always the early riser, was in his office, working already.

"Morning Dad."

"Morning."

"Um, I kind of have to tell you something." He looked up, suspicion lining his face. She took his steely gaze as permission to go on. "I'm kind of, uh, seeing someone." The look on his face might have looked passive to the untrained eye, but she saw him tense up, his jaw stiffening.

"And who might that be?" he asked evenly.

She steeled herself, "It's Neville." She closed her eyes. Then opened them again because he didn't say anything. He just stared at her. Then he started to laugh. Not even just a chuckle. A full out belly laugh. He hadn't laughed like that since the time when she was seven and beat up Draco for trying to kiss her.

"You're joking right?" She didn't say anything and his smile faded a bit, "Please tell me that you're joking."

"Thanks Dad." She turned to leave; she should have expected this.

He stood, "Of all of the idiots in this school, you picked the most idiodic one." He couldn't keep the sneer from his voice. She glared at him and left. She knew there was no use arguing with him. She was a little hurt; he'd never spoken to her like that before.

She made her way back up to the Great Hall scanned the Gryffindor table. Neville spotted her first and jumped up from his breakfast to come over.

"Morning!" he said brightly.

"Morning," she muttered.

"Is something wrong? You seem disappointed, or are you just tired? I know we were out a little late last night and if you want, we can come in earlier next time," he babbled. It was sweet how worried he got over the littlest thing.

"No, I- well I just told my dad. You know, about us."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Did he tell you that we couldn't?"

She scoffed, "I'd like to think that he's smarter than that. He didn't really say much." She wasn't going to tell him what her father had said about him. "Let's go get some breakfast." she forced a smile and took his hand.

At the table Neville already had a spot; he asked the guys on either side, "Could you guys move over a bit?" Their eyes caught sight of our laced fingers and they scooted over. "Thanks!" He smiled at them. He looked so happy. She didn't feel nearly as good and she was angry with her father for ruining her mood.

Rowan spent the day feeling self-conscious as people openly stared at them.

"What is everyone staring at?" she asked, a little annoyed.

"I don't think anyone expected me to get a girlfriend," his face went red, "Especially not you." She went pink, but couldn't think of a response.

They stopped outside the dungeon doors; she had decided to accompany Neville to his potions lesson so her dad couldn't bully him. She had been tutoring him anyway, so it seemed like a logical excuse. He squeezed her hand. She lifted her chin, shook her hair back, and they went in. They sat quietly until the heavy door swung open, she didn't feel like talking. Her father entered and the class became silent instantly. She met his gaze firmly as he narrowed his eyes; he knew exactly why she was here.

"Longbottom. Up here." Neville winced and stood.

He went up to the front of the room, "Yes, Professor Snape?"

"I would like your assistance in today's demonstration." Neville just nodded. Her father never talked to the students while he did a demonstration, he just put the instructions on the board and let them work. He never asked for assistance either. It was weirdly silent until she realized his mouth was moving the slightest bit; he was talking to Neville so low that the rest of the class couldn't hear him. A few minutes later, Neville came back to their table.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"Tell you later," he answered quietly. She guided Neville quietly, keeping her distance so her father couldn't accuse her of doing it for him.

"Longbottom, summarize the steps for making this potion," it wasn't a request, it was a demand.

Neville thought for a minute, "I can't, sir."

"I know your potion-making skill is abysmal, but for a moment I expected you to at least remember what I told you a mere five minutes ago. Thirty points from Gryffindor for your short-term memory," he said scathingly.

Over the next forty-five minutes, her father took around seventy points from Neville for the most ridiculous things. Class was finally over and Rowan was fuming. Neville had to pull her out of the classroom by the hand so she didn't go confront her dad right then.

"What did he say to you?"

"A lot of it was so low I couldn't even hear him over the cauldron. But I caught a lot of threats. The look in his eyes was enough for me to get the idea." He was trying to play it off like it was no big deal, but she could see that he was shaken.

"This isn't okay; I'm going to fix it."

"There's nothing to fix. What your dad thinks does doesn't change how I feel. I'm not scared."

"So, Rowan, I see the rumors are true. You've picked yourself up a little flobberworm to keep as a pet," Draco sneered. Neville tried to keep walking but she wasn't about to let the likes of Draco call him a flobberworm.

"Bet your mom wouldn't agree. At least one of the kids in her life can get a boyfriend. But all of the boys turned you down didn't they? That's why you're stuck with Pansy, right?" His grin went sour. Crabbe and Goyle shrunk into the background. They both knew how much Draco's mom loved her and more importantly, they knew how much he hated it.

"Well, I bet your Daddy is none too pleased about your little boy toy. I don't even need to insult him; your dad will do it for me." He made a show of looking Neville over, "Not that anyone needs to, really, he takes care of that himself."

"Honestly Draco, do I really need to beat you up again? Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

He went red, "Things are changing Rowan. You'd be wise to make sure you're on the right side."

"Where I stand and how I stand there is my own business; you know exactly where you can shove it Malfoy." she grabbed Neville's hand and dragged him off. She was silent most of the way back to the common room.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What did Malfoy mean when he said, 'Things are changing'?"

"He means that people like Umbridge won't be able to stay in denial for much longer,"she said spitefully.

He was silent.

Now it was her turn to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just feel like us being together is making everything so complicated for you. Maybe you would be better off-"

She cut in, "Don't you even start that with me. My life has never been anything less than complicated. And now with the Dark Lord gaining power, it doesn't look like they'll be straightened out for a long time. If anything, having someone to lean on is the best thing that's happened in a long time. Besides, anything worth fighting for won't be easy." She took his hand again; she didn't want him to feel like he was only another problem for her to deal with. He nodded, but didn't say anything else.

Back in the common room she asked, "Do you want to get our homework done so it's done for the weekend?"

"Sure, I'll be right back," he hurried upstairs, not wanting to make her wait. She slipped up the girls' dormitory staircase to grab her own. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil cornered her at the top of the staircase.

"Why didn't you tell us?" They demanded in unison.

"Tell you what?"

"That you liked Neville!" Lavender exclaimed.

Rowan thought about it for a moment, she didn't really even know that she liked Neville until she knew he liked her, "I didn't know I was supposed to tell people," she lied. She wasn't even that good of friends with Lavender and Parvati.

"We could have helped you two get together ages ago if we'd known!" Parvarti seemed very disappointed that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to meddle.

She tried to slide past them, "I appreciate the concern you guys, but I'm glad it happened on its own." They seemed a bit put out.

"Rowan, Neville's waiting for you downstairs," Hermione said as she brushed by. It was probably obvious that she was fed up with Parvati and Lavender. She breathed a sigh of relief. The two girls looked slightly offended by Hermione's briskness, but quickly put on devilish grins.

"We didn't know Neville was waiting for you," Parvati said snidely.

"You'd better not keep him waiting," Lavender finished, her grin widening. Shaking her head, she slipped between the two of them and hurried down the stairs. Neville had commandeered one of the sofas in the corner and she plopped down with a sigh.

"Those stairs are rough, I know," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, especially when Parvati and Lavender corner you on them," I said with a sigh. "It was pretty rough, but I made it out."

"What did they want?" He seemed concerned.

"Oh, they were just disappointed that I hadn't kept them in the loop. They really wanted the chance to meddle."

"Hm," he appeared thoughtful.

I raised my eyebrows, "You would have let them?"

"Well, if it would've gotten us together faster, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad."

"The two of us forced to go on a date? I can't see that going well. We're both too awkward," she laughed.

"You would have made the move if I hadn't?"

She paused, "I'm not sure." They worked quietly for a few minutes.

"You're not awkward, by the way," he said shyly.

"Me? Not awkward? Pfft," I scoffed. "There's no way you're going to try to tell me that I'm graceful."

"No, that's not what I mean. We're all awkward, at least a little bit I think, but you have confidence." She stared at him for a moment; she couldn't really argue there; she had her moments. She started writing again. When she looked up, Neville was waiting for a response.

"I didn't say anything weird, did I?" He seemed afraid that he had offended her.

"No, not at all. It's just weird to hear what people think of me from the outside, you know? But I'm glad you think so," she smiled. "Oh, before I forget, give me your Potions essay. I'm going to check it over and maybe do some editing. If my dad wants to play this game, I sure won't make it easier for him," she said with a grin. He looked a little unsure, so she said, "I'm not going to do anything to it. I'm just going to make sure he has nothing to criticize." He pulled his essay out of the stack of parchment he was working on and handed it to her.

She started reading his essay; it really was terrible. She looked up to tell him that he was definitely still receiving tutoring, but she caught him staring.

"What?"

All of the sudden he plunged forward, sending his work all over the floor, his lips met hers. After a few moments, she couldn't keep from laughing at his schoolwork spilled all over the floor.

"That bad?" He asked, disappointed.

"No, no, it was fine, better than fine," she laughed once again. She started scooping his parchment up off the floor and dropping it back in his lap and he started shuffling his papers around. "But it's late," she gathered her things and stood. His face was still red and he was avoiding her eyes. She kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair and went up to bed with a smile.


	9. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The school year proceeded and snow started to fall. Soon it was time to meet up with Harry and everyone and finally make solid plans for their group. Rowan found herself eager, but nervous. She got on with most people okay, but a lot of kids didn't trust her because of her dad. This was also technically not against the rules, but Umbridge would have a fit if she found out; it wouldn't be pretty if they were caught.

More terrifying yet, if Voldemort found out, he would be furious at both her and her father. She thought it would probably be better if she didn't tell her dad; it wasn't the end of the world if he found out, she was sure Dumbledore would know soon enough and her father would know then, but she wasn't going to have him trying to stop her. This was non-negotiable.

"Okay, so we already know why we're here," Harry began, bringing her back from her thoughts.

Rowan chimed in, "We want to fight and we know that we have every right to."

"There aren't many of us yet, but we did agree to refrain from spreading the word until we were sure we could make this work," Hermione explained. "Harry and Rowan have agreed to teach us what they can, we all know that Harry has experience battling the dark arts and Rowan is an excellent student as well as receiving tutoring from her dad." Rowan nodded and smiled at the compliment.

"We'll need to find a place to hold meetings first of all," Rowan said.

"I've been thinking about that a lot and I think I finally came up with a good solution. It seems so obvious now, but the Room of Requirement," Harry said excitedly.

Hermione looked furious with herself, "Why didn't I think of it?"

"Great, we'll have to find a way to communicate meeting time, but that can wait until we have a set group of people to communicate with. I think word of mouth will do fine, while we get started," Harry continued. Everyone nodded their agreement.

They picked a date and threw around some ideas for communication, but none of them really stuck. She could see that Hermione was taking it very seriously. She must have wanted to make up for not thinking of the Room of Requirement.

"Everyone make sure to tell as many Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs as you can. Make sure anyone who you think would be interested in learning knows when and where we're meeting. Did we miss anything?" Hermione summarized. They all shook their heads, agreeing that it sounded about right.

Everyone else wandered off and she leaned over to Fred and George, "Think it's time to properly introduce ourselves to Umbridge?" she asked with an evil grin.

Identical smirks spread over the twins' faces, "I think so," they said in unison.

She and the twins spent the whole weekend planning something special for Umbridge. The three of them camped out in the corner of the common room with their heads together for hours at a time. Everyone knew by now that it was better to leave them to it, rather than disrupt and risk becoming the next target. She'd already had a good idea when she talked to Fred and George, so most of their planning was tactical. However, the twins didn't disappoint. Her original idea had evolved into something ruthless and beautiful.

"Alright, so you two are going to make a scene three floors up, while I take care of the wand work in her office. I assume you two can handle the planning of your catastrophe?"

"You assume correctly," Fred said with a wink.

"Excellent," she grinned wickedly.

She stood around the corner from Umbridge's office and waited for the sounds of chaos. She heard the slap of feet on the floor and soon after, the click of Umbridge's heels heading for the stairs. She waited a minute to make sure she was gone and then slipped around the corner into her office. She had been worried that Alohomora wouldn't be enough; she knew she wouldn't have time for more complicated spellwork, but the lock clicked and she slipped inside.

The office was as pink and horrifying as Harry had said. The kittens mewed and yowled from their plates on the walls. Every surface was covered in at least one doily and the whole room reeked of Umbridge's perfume. She contorted her face briefly but quickly focused. Muttering under her breath, she worked her way around the room tapping each decorative plate. Some kittens darted away from the tip of her wand, others batted playfully.

She tapped the last plate and finished the incantation. All at once, the kittens all changed to toads. They seemed unaware of the change, continuing to roll around, snatching at yarn. The colorful ribbons looked out of place on the toads, and the pastel backgrounds no longer seemed peaceful, but rather crude and gaudy. She smiled with satisfaction and slipped back out of the office.

Minutes later, a crowd headed by Fred and George jostled down the corridor where she waited.

"How did it go?" she asked them eagerly.

"Swimmingly," George said with a sly grin.

"Yourself?" Fred said with an eager look in his eye.

"Excellent," she replied cheerfully. Soon enough, they heard the sharp click of heels returning. They waited with bated breath as the lock clicked open once again and Umbridge entered the room.

The sound of dozens of toad stomachs hitting the floor echoed out and preceded the loudest shriek she had heard in her sixteen years. For a few moments, there was little sound but the croaks of the toads. Before long though, they heard the click of a heel. There was a pause before the next click as she imagined Umbridge desperately looking for the floor space to step on.

The students all knew well enough to scatter at this point. They all darted off, quickly and quietly. They arrived back in the common room; where all of those who missed the spectacle were eager to hear details. Neville looked at her, wide eyed as everyone gathered around them, patting them on the back and grinning widely.

After the crowd subsided, she was finally able to take a seat on the sofa with Neville. His face was red; it was obvious he was struggling with the transfiguration essay.

"Need a little help?" she asked kindly. He sighed, but hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"You do too much for me. I need to carry my own weight." She thought for a moment; his male bravado was slightly endearing, but also slightly annoying.

She stared at him, trying to keep her gaze passive; she could still feel a bit of iciness creep through. Neville looked up at her, his eyes guilty.

"Sorry," he said as he cast his eyes down. She knew he was sorry, but she was only trying to help. She wanted to see him succeed.

"It's fine. Good night then." She stood quickly and slipped up the stairs before he could respond.

As she lay in bed staring at the cover over her bed, she wondered about Neville, the euphoria of our prank's success long gone. He was sweet, probably the sweetest boy she had ever met, but also immature. It had never been an issue before; she'd thought it was endearing. Was that what this was? An issue? Her stomach dropped when she realized she was having doubts.

Obviously, this was about more than his newfound pride in his schoolwork. She couldn't put her finger on what had changed. Maybe that was the problem. Their feelings hadn't matured past the most basic level. It had been almost two months and the new relationship giddiness had worn off. There were no more butterflies, no stupid smiles, and now that she thought about it, very few real feelings at all. Her heart sank when she realized what she had to do. Even more when she realized she felt kind of relieved. There was no way for her to know how Neville really felt and she didn't want him to be more hurt than necessary.

She tossed and turned; sleep eluded her until well after midnight. She felt a lot of guilt. Neville was so sweet and there was no way to do this without him hurting.

The next morning, she awoke to Hermione, "Rowan, Neville asked me to get you."

She opened her eyes groggily, "What time is it?"

"It's nine, but will you just come down? He's been waiting since I got up, it's rather sad."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She dragged herself out of bed, dreading what she had to do. She quickly got dressed and braced herself for the worst. She trudged down the stairs, forcing herself to perk up just before reaching the bottom.

As soon as she stepped off the staircase, Neville approached nervously, wringing his hands.

"Rowan, I'm really sorry about last night, I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought I relied on you too much and I need to be stronger for you. I want to be good enough," he rushed out in a big breath. She felt her resolve tremble as she looked at him. He was so upset because he didn't feel good enough. How could she explain to him that this wasn't working without making that feeling worse?

She let out a long breath; she had to go through with it.

"Neville," his face dropped at her tone. "This just isn't working. You're so great and I don't want you to hurt. You're turning into someone great, someone any girl would be lucky to have. And I'm not just saying that, being with you these last few months has really let me watch the bravery and talent in you grow. But the spark between us just isn't there." She felt her eyes well up, "I'm so sorry."

His eyes shone and he sniffled a little, "I understand. But I meant what I said. I want to be strong enough for you and I won't give up until I am. If you still don't feel anything then, I'll have no regrets, but it's something I have to prove to myself. You're my motivation."

At that, her tears overflowed. He cared about her so much; he wanted to change for her.

"Don't cry okay?" He said as he wiped a tear off her face. It was surprisingly mature. It caught her off guard and made her cry more.

"I'm really sorry Neville," she said before darting toward the staircase before she made even more of a fool of herself.

Neville grabbed her hand, "Can I ask you something?" She nodded slowly. "Is it George?"

"What? No, he has nothing to do with this-"

He paused, not quite seeming to believe her. He said finally, "Okay," before letting go of her hand.


	10. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Curled up on her bed, she wasn't quite ready to face everyone's disappointment. The whole house had all been happy to see her and Neville together. She doubted her decision would endear her to anyone.

At least she had the dormitory to herself; the other girls in her year most likely off enjoying the weekend. She had to meet with Professor McGonagall at eleven to discuss her N.E.W.T.'s; she wasn't exactly looking forward to disclosing her plans to work on the joke shop with the twins, but it was her fallback until a teaching position opened for her. She checked her watch; it was half past ten and she needed to get ready. She knew she would have to pry herself out of bed eventually to get some things around to take a bath. She would need to clean her face up a bit before the meeting.

She started to gather her things for the bath, when she thought she heard faint sound. She listened but didn't hear anything for a moment. Once she started moving around it happened again. She waited, for a full minute this time. It came from the staircase. She tiptoed over, only to find several paper airplanes at various points on the staircase. Each one had a crudely drawn photo obviously meant to make her laugh and a message from the twins. She smiled a bit at the pictures; they were obviously George's work. Fred was decent at drawing; George on the other hand usually resorted to stick figures. He had always claimed it was his unique style, but she usually reminded him that it was unique to him and five-year olds.

The letters read; "Ro, heard what happened. Want to hang out? –Fred and George," "Ro, get your lovely arse down here, before we come up and get it. –Fred and George," and "Rowan Morgana Snape, we recognize our pitiful lack of ability to get up the girls' staircase, however, we also recognize your need of some serious cheering up, so please come down or we will find a way up. This is not a threat, merely a statement of fact. –Gred and Forge".

She stifled a laugh at the last note and tucked all three in the drawer in her bedside table. She tiptoed down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. She was happy to see Fred and George, but the fact that they had already heard what happened made her less than eager to go to the common room.

Without allowing herself the moment to hesitate, she briskly stepped off the stairs into the common room. She saw a few heads turn out of her peripheral vision, but she kept her eyes trained on the twins the whole way.

"Hey," she muttered as she approached.

"He-" Fred started, but he was cut off by George engulfing her in a hug. He held on a few seconds longer than she expected, but it was far from unpleasant. He was warm and reassuring and smelled like licorice.

Fred rolled his eyes at his brother and loudly cleared his throat.

"Let's try that again. 'Hi Rowan!'" he said in an overly cheery voice. She didn't feel up to giving the response he was asking for, so her only response was a grim smile.

Grabbing her shoulders, he shouted, "Laugh damnit! For Merlin's sake, acknowledge me!" He widened his eyes and stared her down. "That's it. Don't you dare smile. Don't you dare."

Despite herself, she felt her lips turn up and she pushed him away.

"Stop, I'm trying to be sad," she complained, half-kidding.

She could see the relief on both of their faces as she finally gave a genuine smile. But it quickly changed to worry as they exchanged a look and glanced over her shoulder. She turned and saw Neville nervously working his way over.

She saw his chest rise as he took a deep breath before pulling her into a hug.

"Do you think we can still be friends?" he asked timidly. She hesitated. She didn't want him to hurt any more than necessary, but she couldn't tell him no. If it was what he wanted, she owed it to him.

"Of course we can, if that's what you want. You're sure?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Of course. Besides, I couldn't find a better tutor if I tried. He gave a small smile. She smiled back, but wasn't sure what else to say. He seemed to understand and said a quick goodbye before stepping away.

After Neville was gone, she turned expectantly to the twins, "So how are you two blockheads going to cheer me up?"

They shared a look and answered in unison, "Excellent question my dear."

Without another word, they each grabbed an arm and dragged her out of the common room. She went limp rather than struggle, she knew there was no way she could shake both of them without doing any wandwork or serious harm.

"Is there any reason I can't walk to wherever it is we're going?" George only turned and grinned at her. She sighed; she recognized the direction they were heading; it seemed like they were taking her to the kitchens.

Sure enough, they came to the painting of the fruit, where Fred reached out to tickle the pear. The house elves were busy at work; she could picture the look on Hermione's face.

"What are we doing here?"

"Well my lovely Rowan, I believe you already know that each place setting in the Great Hall has a corresponding space in house elves' system. There are two tables here in the kitchen exactly like those in the Great Hall; one for the student tables and one for the professors' table. Since the student tables are all based on the same thing, we wouldn't be able to target one student, since most don't sit in the same place every day and it would affect three other students who are of no interest to us," Fred began.

"The professors on the other hand, sit in the same place for every meal. So, say someone tampered with the place setting on this model, for example; the place where the esteemed Professor Umbridge sits, it would transfer whatever 'effects' were on this setting to the real thing in the Great Hall," George finished for him. He put his arm around her shoulders, "Catching on yet?"

She rolled her eyes, "I got it George."

"Now, the part we've delegated to you, is deciding what we do to dear Dolores' food tonight." Fred said with a sly smile. She grinned.

"Should we stick with the toad theme? Or maybe change it up?"

George began, "I think-"

I didn't find out what he thought however because at that moment Professor McGonagall swept through the portrait hole.

"Miss Snape, I believe we had a meeting?" she said coldly. Rowan checked her watch; it was half past. She cussed under her breath.

"Language; or I shall take it up with your father. And the three of you; you all know that students are not permitted to be in the kitchen. Knowing you three, I would rather not imagine why you are down here in the first place. Out, before I think better of it and give you all detention. Snape, my office."

She held the door as the three of them trooped out, heads down. Before they left, she saw George flick his wand at the table behind his back, muttering under his breath.

"I didn't quite catch that Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said irritably.

"Nothing Professor," he said quickly, stowing his wand.

"I should hope not, for your sake."

They parted ways on the staircase; she followed Professor McGonagall to her office as the twins headed to the common room.

Soon Rowan sat in her office, a plate of cookies between them.

"I would offer you some, but I would imagine you're full after you're trip to the kitchens." She sounded stern but there was a hint of a smile in her expression; Rowan had a feeling McGonagall knew more than she let on about what they had been planning.

Rowan grinned and grabbed a cookie.

"Moving on, do you have any idea of what you'd like to do after school?"

She nodded and swallowed quickly, "I plan to open a joke shop with Fred and George."

McGonagall pursed her lips.

"I know, not exactly what you wanted to hear." She shrugged, "I'd also like to teach here at Hogwarts someday. But I know that those positions can be hard to come by, so the joke shop is a safety."

Her face relaxed a bit, "What subject were you interested in?"

"I haven't decided. I'm definitely interested in Potions, as you might have guessed and I swear I'm not brownnosing, but maybe Transfiguration."

"With the possibility of either of those, I would recommend N.E. in Herbology, Charms, and then obviously, Transfiguration and Potions."

"Would it be possible for me to take N.E.W.T level classes but not the N.E. themselves for a class or two? I'd really like to continue Care of Magical Creatures and possibly be in an Alchemy class."

"Normally I would advise that students focus only on the classes necessary to further their futures, but in your case, I think you could manage the N.E. with the added workload," she said briskly, noting on her parchment.

"Under different circumstances, I'd have liked to continue Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I don't feel like it would do me much good at the moment," she admitted.

"As your professor I cannot make comments on the nature of Professor Umbridge's class; however, I understand your feelings. And may I say that I believe you will manage to stay alert and well able to protect yourself in the coming months." She gave a wry smile.

Rowan smiled back, "Is that everything Professor?"

"Yes, you're free to go Miss Snape. I will arrange your schedule accordingly."


	11. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

She quickly made her way back to the common room, her mood much improved from this morning. It felt good to have her schedule for next year planned and Neville still wanted to be her friend. She was also eager to find out what spell George had used in the kitchens. She wasn't paying enough attention to where she was going in her hurry and slammed shoulders with someone.

Whoever it was grabbed her shoulders to prevent both of them from tumbling down the stairs.

"Oh! I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" she apologized profusely. She realized it was Terry Boot from Ravenclaw, a fifth year.

He grinned, "No problem, I'm just glad you didn't fall." His hands were still on her shoulders.

She stepped back, "Well, uh, thanks for catching me, but I should go."

"Wait! You're Rowan, right?" she nodded slowly. "I'm Terry. I've heard a lot about you from Parvati," he said with a smile.

She wasn't so sure she liked the sound of that, but he continued, "Top of your class, pretty green eyes, and newly available; sound about right?"

"Sounds like you have me mixed up with someone else, but I really do need to go," she said tartly.

He grabbed her hand, "Wait! Do you think you would want-?"

"There you are! I've been waiting for you! Ro, baby, I was looking all over for you," George swept down the stairs dramatically and grabbed her hand from Terry's.

"I was just on my way back up, I accidentally bumped into Terry here," she gestured at him, raising her eyebrows.

Terry had a surprised look on his face; he muttered under his breath, "Damn, you're quick."

"What was that?" George asked him innocently.

"Nothing, I'll see you later Rowan." He briskly stepped away and proceeded down the stairs. She and George watched him go and waited until he was far away before laughing.

"Oh my-" she had to catch her breath, "The look on his face though!"

George put his arm around her shoulders and leaned against the railing, "I think we fooled him," he said proudly, pretending to buff his nails on his robes.

"We really worked it I think," she said cheerfully. "He didn't even know how to respond. But really, thanks for picking up on that, it was rather impressive."

"Anytime," he said with a cocky grin.

We continued up the staircase to the common room, but she noticed George seemed to slouch more and more and they went up.

She stopped him outside the portrait hole, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"George."

"Just thinking. Thinking way too much," he said sullenly.

She understood immediately what his problem was.

She was about to start apologizing when he suddenly met her eyes. An idea seized her and she impulsively allowed it control; she kissed him. She crashed into him; her apology lost on her lips. A few moments later she pulled away, feeling strangely triumphant.

George didn't really know what to say; that was a first. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?" he said suspiciously.

"You're speechless Georgie; I've never witnessed that phenomenon before."

His neck went bright red, "So, er- what'd you think?"

"Honestly?" His jaw tightened. "I don't really know yet. I'm feeling a whole lot right now. But I only just ended things with Neville this morning. I think," she hesitated, "I need some time to figure it out." She realized how terrible she sounded; she had kissed him and now she told him she needed time.

"Do you want me and Fred to leave you alone for a bit?" he asked tentatively.

"No. The last thing I want right now is to be alone. I would drive myself mental." She shook her head, "I need some company." What she really needed was to figure out what she was feeling.

George grinned, "That I can provide."

Fred was waiting for them in the common room, "Bloody hell what took you so long?"

"We stopped to put on a show Fred, you should be sorry you missed it," she lectured, shaking my head.

He rolled his eyes, "Just get over here would you? We're running low on Fever Fudge and yours turns out the best."

"You know Fred, I think that's the closest thing to a compliment I've ever gotten from you," she said in mock surprise.

"Shut it Snape. Fudge, now."

"Rude Weasley, maybe I should owl your mum and tell her that you've forgotten your manners. Or better yet, I could tell her why you're bullying me in the first place," she raised her eyebrows. Fred raised his back. She forced her eyebrows as far up her forehead as they would go and Fred did the same. They both broke and started laughing at each other.

"Come on, help a guy out," he pleaded.

"What do you say Freddie? When asking for the help of a high class and intelligent lady such as myself, you must use your manners."

He let out an exaggerated sigh, "Pleeeeease."

She grinned widely, "No problem." They worked on replenishing their stock for the next few hours, until it was time for dinner.

"I'm bloody exhausted," she complained to the twins over dinner.

"Suck it up my dear, this will be every day once we get the shop opened up," Fred said with a grin.

"Except then," George continued in an ominous voice, "You'll have to deal with customers too!"

She gasped, "The horror!"

She suspected George must have used his twin telepathy to tell Fred to go away, since he headed off to bed suspiciously early leaving the two of them to walk back to the common room alone.

"So, you get much thinking done today?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"I think enough," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"And? No need to keep me in suspense here, I've waited all day," he chastised.

"And I need to try something," she said, building up some motivation.

He looked at her confused, but she just grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his face down to hers.

This time she was prepared for her own thoughts and George was more than enthusiastic. She felt her stomach erupt into weightlessness, confirming the feeling she thought she might have experienced earlier. It was missing with Neville, but with George, she couldn't deny that there were definitely butterflies.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything…but what was that for?" George asked, confused.

She smiled, pleased with her own boldness. This one definitely felt like a win.

"I needed to be sure that I felt something," she explained.

"Is your smiling face enough for me to assume that you heard the hallelujah chorus?"

"Pretty damn close," she said, grinning, the weightlessness finally fading from her stomach.

"So, are we, you know?"

"No."

He looked disappointed.

"Not because I don't want to. Which I really do. But I want to make sure this lasts. I'm asking you to court me, Mr. Weasley," she said with a smirk. "Think you can handle that?" she teased.

"I would be honored," he said with a deep bow.

They strolled into the common room together, Fred looking up expectantly. George proudly gave him a thumbs up. She elbowed him and made a so-so gesture and laughed.

They went over and squeezed onto the sofa next to him.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean Ro?" Fred asked, imitating her hand gesture.

It means don't get too excited yet, you prat, that's what it means," she said airily.

"You mean that you two oblivious children aren't an item yet?" he said incredulously.

"Not quite." she was a little annoyed with Fred's attitude. Things weren't that simple. Not only did she want to make sure that her feelings for George hadn't faded, but she also wanted to give Neville a little time before she forced him to watch her with someone else. It only seemed fair. She wasn't appreciating his insensitivity.

George seemed to pick up on her irritation and said quickly, "We wanted to do this right. Not mess it all up by rushing it."

"Yeah Fred, you should pay attention, maybe take some notes," she said icily. He raised his eyebrows, but dropped the subject.

She went upstairs to grab her schoolwork, as it was still early and she had nothing better to do. She came back downstairs to George sprawling across the sofa, his feet across Fred.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Move you git."

"That's not very polite," he said, clucking his tongue.

"Please move, you git."

He considered for a few moments, but she wasn't feeling very patient. She plopped right down on his stomach, pushing the air out of his lungs.

He coughed, caught off guard, and tried to regain his breath.

"I said 'please'," she shrugged her shoulders.

He shot her daggers, "Apology accepted."

She stuck out her tongue, "Who said I was sorry?"

He made a grab for her tongue, "Better keep that in your mouth or who knows what could happen to it?"

"That's so gross! Who knows where your hands have been? Keep those out of here," she complained, making a face.

"I'm offended! My hands are clean! Here, smell!" he said, shoving them in her face. She smacked them away with a feral sound. She made a show of pulling out her Transfiguration essay and began working on it.

George leaned back and closed his eyes, giving her some peace to work. Fred watched the two of them with a half smirk.

"Work on something, occupy yourself you ogling prat," she ordered briskly.

George chuckled; one eye half open. Once Fred started filling out order forms for the shop, George reached out and rested his hand on her arm, tracing circles with his thumb. Her stomach soared and she tried to hide a smile, glad that his eyes were closed.

They worked in unusual silence until she finished her essay. Carefully sliding off of George's stomach she said a quick good night and headed toward the stairs. She heard a big thump and before she even turned, George grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. They separated and she caught a glimpse of Fred picking up himself and his forms from the floor. She giggled and George leaned down a bit for a kiss.

She slipped away and grinned at him, "Not tonight lover boy." His neck went red and she kissed his cheek, "Good night George."

The next morning, she woke up to a nightstand covered in flowers. There were roses, carnations, geraniums, lilies, and a few others she didn't recognize.

There was a note sticking out from the corner of the arrangement. The handwriting was obviously George's, but she could tell he had taken the time to make it neat.

Rowan,

I really hope this was the kind of thing you meant by "courting". If not, this is kind of awkward.

Anyway, I hope you like them.

With love,

George

She smiled; he was really going all out for this. She dug out a mason jar that she usually used for potions and conjured up some water. She tried to preserve the arrangement as best as she could while transferring them to the makeshift vase. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, she trotted down the stairs in her pajamas, a bit more spring in her step than usual.

She expected to find at least the twins in the common room; they usually spent Sunday mornings together, but it was completely deserted. Taking advantage of that, she sprawled across the sofa in front of the fireplace. Curling up, she enjoyed the waves of warmth and the silence. Apart from the few late risers who hurried through to get to breakfast, the only sound was the crackling of the fire.

After a few minutes, the portrait hole opened up. She caught a glimpse of two sets of flaming red hair and grinned. The twins were laden with plates and cups so she rushed over to try to help.

"No, you sit, George ordered briskly.

"Bloody hell George, I'm not going to sit, you're about to drop everything."

"We were doing just fine until that bitter old squib gave us hell for doing magic in the corridors," Fred said bitterly.

"Since when do you take orders from Filch?" she asked skeptically.

"Since a single bump could ruin all of my plans to woo you, that's when."

She was a little stunned, "Oh, well, uh, thank you," she said, a little sheepishly.

"Don't thank me yet, I still have plenty of time to mess this up," he said, carefully unloading the dishes onto the table.

"After the flowers, I think you get one free screw up," she laughed.

He looked up, "You liked them?"

"Loved them." she sent him a shrewd look, "How'd you get them up there by the way?"

"I can't give away all my secrets, can I?"

"It was Ginny wasn't it?"

He was silent for a moment, "No."

She grinned, "I'll have to tell her she did a nice job on the arrangement. They were gorgeous, thank you."

"You're welcome," he tried to hide his smile.

Finally, he and Fred had everything set out on the coffee table.

"Guys, this looks great!"

Fred grinned, "I'll see you two love birds later."

She felt a bit bad that he worked so hard to help and wasn't staying to enjoy it so she hopped up and gave him a hug, "Thanks Fred."

"Let's not get all sentimental, it's no big deal. I'm just a great wingman," he said with a sly grin, climbing out of the portrait hole.

"Don't worry about him; he's spending the day with Angelina."

"Are they a thing?"

"Not yet, but Fred hopes soon."

"That's nice, we could double," she said with a smile.

He grinned, "How's your breakfast?"

"It's especially delicious. It's not even noon and I already feel very spoiled. You better slow down or you'll run out of tricks," she teased.

"I'm a creative guy, I think I'll manage," he said with a cocky grin.

"I don't have any doubts about that."

He looked very pleased with himself, going slightly red.

After we finished eating George waved his wand and all the dishes disappeared.

"Where'd you send those, Filch's office?" she asked with a wicked grin.

"Damnit, I should've, I just sent them to the kitchens."

"Oh well, we can get him back better another time."

She smiled idly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" he asked pensively.

"That I'm very happy. I'm also thinking that you don't have to try so hard. I already like you, remember? I was mostly joking when I told you to court me."

He gave a small laugh, "I know, I know. I'm, dare I say, eager."

"I'm glad. Just don't tire yourself out, I don't need you getting tired of me already," she nudged his side.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," he grinned. "I've kept this up for five years, I think I'm hooked."

She went silent.

"What? No witty retort?"

"For five years?"

"Yeah, since your first year, right after your first Christmas at the Burrow."

She sighed, "We're both idiots."

"How long?"

"The same. Almost exactly. When you lifted me up to put the star on the tree, I was done for."

He laughed, "That was my intention."

She leaned up against his chest, "It's so nice when everyone else is at breakfast." He draped his arm over her shoulder. They closed their eyes and relaxed.


	12. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They hadn't been sleeping long when a bright light flashed in their faces. Rowan blinked rapidly and for a second, George's arms tightened around her protectively, though he didn't wake up.

In a huddle around them were Fred, Angelina, Ginny, Hermione, and Colin Creevy. Fred was handing Colin a couple sickles in return for a photograph.

She jumped up, fully waking George, "Fred you better hand that over right now!"

He held it out of reach, grinning, "Are you gonna make me, Snape?"

"Just because I'm short doesn't mean I'm not a witch," she said fiercely, pulling out her wand.

"Come on Fred, just give her the picture, you'll just piss her off," George mumbled blearily.

"Yeah Fred, listen to your smarter and more attractive twin," she demanded.

"No way, this is great leverage," he said, examining the picture. "Look, we have George snoring and little Ro grabbing his hand, so adorable," he teased.

She kicked him in the shin and made a grab for it, tearing away three quarters of the photo.

"Bloody hell, I thought you said you were a witch," he complained, grabbing his shin.

"I'm a witch who uses the most effective way of getting what she wants."

She stuck out her tongue and tore up the rest of the photo while Hermione and Ginny laughed.

"Well you better think again genius," he said, flashing a repaired photo at her. She quickly blasted it with her wand, the ashes trailing to the floor.

"You really should calm down, people are trying to study," he said mockingly, clucking his tongue. "And you haven't even seen the best part yet," he gestured at the bits of paper she had dropped on the floor. Each was now a full photograph.

She gritted her teeth, "How in the hell did you do that Fred Weasley?"

"What's that muggle saying Hermione? 'A good magician never reveals his secrets.'" he said smugly.

"You're- no- magician- you're- a- bloody- arse!" she shoved him a little on each word.

"Hurtful," he said, putting a hand over his heart.

"If those don't disappear in the next five seconds, I'm telling Angelina what your mum told me last Christmas."

He paled, "You wouldn't."

Angelina giggled, "I like this arrangement, do tell."

"I don't think Angelina would be as interested in someone if she knew that he-"

"Okay, okay!" Fred shouted, waving his wand. "And you call me the arse," he muttered.

"You know another muggle saying? 'All's fair in love and war,'" it was her turn to be smug. He took Angelina's hand and dashed out of the common room before she did any serious damage to his reputation.

"You know that won't be the last you see of those photos, right?" George asked cautiously.

"I know; I'll be waiting and planning my payback for when they emerge again. And figuring out how to remove that bloody spell," she plopped back onto the sofa.

"Was the picture that bad?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, it was adorable, which is why Fred shouldn't have it. I even saved one," she pulled the photo from her pocket. He looked at it, his face spreading into a grin. He promptly ripped the picture in half. Her immediate reaction was stunned silence; that spell would take some getting used to. He handed her a newly formed picture, and pocketed his own.

She sighed, "So many photos, so little ability to destroy them."

George laughed, "You love them."

"That's top-secret information, not to be shared with anyone," she put on a serious face.

"Do you know where you're spending the holidays yet? I mean, break starts next week."

"I want to spend about a week with my dad and Nissa and hopefully the rest with you guys. But I still have to figure it out with my dad."

He looked pensive, "It still throws me that when you say Nissa, you mean Malfoy's mom." She shrugged. She had tried to explain that situation to him before, it wasn't worth the hassle.

"Actually, I think I'll go talk to my dad about it now," she headed to the staircase to get dressed.

She briskly trotted through the common room until George caught her hand.

"I'll see you later."

"Count on it, I'm thinking snowball war later," she smirked.

She talked to her dad and worked out plans for Christmas. She would spend a week split between him and Nissa and the rest of her time at Headquarters. Before she left his office, he coughed awkwardly.

"How are you?"

She gave him a look, "I get the feeling that you already know. I've told you a million times, I hate that! Don't use your legilimency on me!"

"It was an accident. I'm sorry."

"Liar."

"You have the capability to block me out; use it," he shrugged. "What happened?"

"I wasn't feeling it, no big deal," she replied shortly. She didn't really feel like discussing relationships with her dad, especially regarding a relationship he didn't even support. Plus, if she said anything about Neville, she was sure her dad would use it against him. She shrugged.

"And who's the new one?"

She made a scathing noise. "Officially, no one, but why don't you just read all about it?" she asked, tapping her head.

"I didn't need to read you for that one. I can tell-you're happy. But if that's an invitation," he began.

"No!"

"Well then tell me," he said simply.

"Why would I tell you after you laughed at me last time?" she said bitterly.

"I said I was sorry, now I'm trying to respect your privacy by not just finding out for myself."

"Fine, it's George. Happy?"

"I can't say I didn't see that one coming."

"Did everyone know that except for me?"

"Evidently."

She crossed her arms, "I have to go. I have a war to incite. I'll see you in class."

He looked a little concerned, but waved her off.

Heading back to the common room, she invited everyone she passed to join the snowball fight. By the time she reached the portrait hole, she had about twenty kids, mostly Ravenclaws, since they were the ones who already had their weekend homework done.

In the common room, the twins were nowhere to be found, but plenty of people were ready to get out of the common room and outside. Leading her troops outside, they divided into teams and set up bases, captains, rules and such. Fred and Angelina showed up just before they started.

"Have you seen George?" she asked quizzically.

"Not since this morning," Fred replied. "He wasn't in the common room?"

"Nope. He'll show up eventually, I suppose. If you guys are joining, the other team's base is down by Hagrid's hut."

They headed off to get ready while she strategized with her team. One group was in charge of the mass production of snowballs, another was enchanting them with fun charms. Some would hit the target with rictusempra, the tickling jinx, some incited the babbling curse, a few had the jelly-legs curse, and others would mimic the sensation of having a ghost walk through you. She didn't envy those who would have the sensation of being doused in cold water out here in the snow, but she looked forward to beaning Fred with one. A few of her own special ones would cause the target to change colors when hit.

She sent green sparks into the air with her wand to signal the start. Immediately, snowballs were flying everywhere, people were being affected by all kinds of spells and getting faces full of snow. She laughed loudly and send a steady barrage of snow down the hill towards Hagrid's cabin. She saw Fred's distinctive hair ducking behind the water trough. Dodging a snowball, she waited for him to pop back up.

Finally, he emerged so she quickly aimed and fired, watching the snowball soar down the hill and burst on the back of his head. After a few seconds, he started rapidly changing color, his skin, hair, and clothes all flashing like a kaleidoscope. She grinned until she also took a snowball to the back of the head.

"What the hell?" she yelled. It came from behind, not from down the hill.

She turned and found George, a second snowball already in hand.

"Nice of you to join us," she yelled over the commotion.

"Nice of you to start the party without me," he answered, crouching beside her.

"That's what happens when you wander off," she said, shrugging.

"Don't make me use this," he replied, brandishing the snowball all her.

"Less talk, more throwing," she ordered, resuming her attack.

Pretty soon, everyone was red-faced and freezing, making their way back up the hill. She was going over to pick on Fred for his loss when another snowball crashed into the back of her neck.

Turning around, George was grinning wickedly. She smiled and made her way over. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought their lips closer slowly until they were only a half inch apart. Then she shoved him as hard as she could; sending him sprawling into the snow.

"MUTINY," she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Their whole team quickly bombarded him with snowballs. She would like to think they were defending their brilliant captain, but more likely everyone just wanted to get payback on the twins for something or other.

She saluted them, "Dismissed." They resumed the trek back to the castle while she extended a hand to help George up. Instead of getting up, he pulled her down with him, so she nearly fell on top of him.

"You're an arse."

"Probably."

"And you should really learn to accept defeat better. Don't question the loyalty of my troops," she said proudly.

"Lesson well learned." He grabbed her hand and stood, "It's freezing out here; not as romantic as I'd hoped."

"Let's go get some hot chocolate then, we can sit in front of the fire or something cliché like that," she laughed.

"Sounds like a plan."


	13. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The morning of the long-anticipated Quidditch match finally dawned and the twins were nearly giddy with excitement. Matches with the Slytherins were their favorite, which she supposed she could understand if she had been the one hitting them with bludgers. As they headed down to breakfast that morning, the twins were chattering away eagerly. Rowan cringed once they reached the Great Hall; Ron looked positively green.

"He's not dealing with those nerves well, is he?" she said sympathetically. They went over and sat down to eat, both twins clapping Ron on the shoulder.

"Buck up mate, you can't earn our love with an attitude like that," George said with a grin.

"Just remember, if you do what we know you're capable of, we'll be able to admit that we're related to you," Fred added.

"You guys leave him alone, he's nervous enough with you two prats harassing him," she said disapprovingly.

A Slytherin walked by with his chest puffed out like a pompous idiot, drawing the twins' attention to the badge on his chest. Fred leapt up impulsively, grabbing the front of the boy's robes and tearing the badge off. She and George crowded around him to see what it was. In the shape of a crown, emblazoned with the phrase, "Weasley is our King". She saw the twins' necks go red simultaneously.

"Guys, relax," she soothed. "Don't let Ron see it and don't let it get to you. Kick their arses on the field and then you can rub their stuck-up noses in it."

She put one hand on Fred's shoulder and took George's hand with the other. She led them out to the field whispering to Hermione not to let Ron catch sight of the badges. She nodded curtly and went back to try to ease the tension. She patted Fred on the back as she followed them into the locker room.

"I'm going to get a good seat; I'll see you guys after the game. Good luck and remember to kick some Slytherin arse for me," she grinned brightly. She hugged George before heading out of the changing room. He dashed out and grabbed her arm, pulling her in.

"No good luck kiss?" he said cheekily.

She gave an exaggerated sigh, "I suppose, if it's for luck." She went up on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek but, he turned at the last second, catching her lips with his. He pulled her close and they didn't separate until Harry and Ron came down, needing to get into the changing rooms. They separated awkwardly, letting the two of them pass.

He grinned at her, "You can't pull that trick on me twice."

It took her a moment to get her bearings, "I- I'll let it slide because it's a special event, but-"

"But what?" he asked teasingly.

"But if you do it again, the Slytherins won't be the only ones getting their arses kicked," she threatened, trying to sound serious.

He smiled, obviously calling her bluff.

She patted his cheek, "Good luck Georgie."

She quickly headed down the pitch, hoping she still had time to get a decent seat. The match began shortly after she sat down, squeezing between Ginny and Hermione. It looked like it was going to be a good match and Lee's commentary was nothing if not entertaining. He made a quick comment about Angelina refusing to go out with him just before George nailed the Slytherin captain, Montague, in the head with a bludger. She jumped up and cheered George's name, Ginny raising her eyebrows with a sly smile when she sat back down.

"Shut up."

Their joking expressions disappeared once they heard the song emanating from the Slytherin stands.

"What the hell!" Rowan exclaimed.

"They're going to destroy him," Hermione said sounding disgusted.

Ginny said nothing, her face turning a shade of maroon. Ron missed the save and Hermione buried her face in her hands.

"Poor Ron," she said angrily. "This is disgusting."

Rowan clapped loudly as one of the twins took out a Slytherin chaser, but all pleasant feelings had disappeared, replaced by outrage. Ron missed another goal while the Slytherins cheered loudly. Ron missed two more over the course of the next two minutes, Ginny staying deadly silent and Hermione holding a hand to her face, no longer wanting to watch. She averted her eyes to Harry; if he could just catch the Snitch, that would end the game and they could win without much more humiliation. Harry dove, obviously catching sight of the Snitch. Draco followed suit, but Harry came out of the dive, his hand closed around the little golden ball. But a moment later, a bludger nailed Harry in the small of his back, sending him sprawling onto the pitch. They began cheering again as Harry stood, nodding his head that he was okay and Madame Hooch flew angrily at Crabbe, gesturing madly and screaming.

Something was going on down on the pitch; Harry was holding onto George and all three chasers were holding Fred back by his robes. Madame Hooch was still occupied berating Crabbe, so no one was down there to break up the altercation. All of the sudden, Harry released George and the pair of them were on Malfoy in seconds; the rest of the team screaming for them to stop.

Rowan cringed, "George no, no, no, no."

Finally, Madame Hooch blasted the pair of them off of Malfoy, her face scarlet. But the damage was done, Malfoy was curled in the fetal position on the frozen field like the piss baby he was. George and Harry were mostly unharmed and after being yelled at by Madame Hooch, slowly made their way back toward the castle.

She waited in the common room anxiously, surrounded by the rest of the team, Hermione, and Ginny. After what felt like hours, the three of them slouched into the common room, looking empty and forlorn. Angelina was up in half a second asking them what had happened. They plopped down, George next to her, while Harry simply sank down to the floor.

"Umbridge happened," Harry mumbled numbly.

"She banned us. For life," George said, putting his head in his hands.

Angelina looked near tears.

"Did Crabbe get banned for life too? He hit that bludger after the match was over!" Alicia demanded.

"He just got lines," Ginny said angrily. "Their team was laughing about it at dinner."

"Fred didn't even do anything!" she said furiously.

"I wish I had, I would have destroyed the nasty, little-" he began, his face contorting.

"I would've let you tear him apart if I'd known you'd get banned anyway Fred," Katie said bitterly.

She tuned out the rest of the conversation and focused on George. He hadn't spoken. She laced her fingers in his hair just above his neck and put her hand on his knee. He took her hand but kept his head down, remaining silent.

Eventually, everyone drifted off to bed. Angelina went first, shaking her head and whispering the words, "Banned for life," under her breath. Katie and Alicia followed shortly after.

Fred stood solemnly, "George you coming?"

"Give me a minute," he said quietly. He stood slowly and she went with him. She kept hold of his hand over to the boys' staircase and pulled him in close. He held her there for a solid minute.

"Good night George," she said softly.


	14. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The week before break dragged on; she was really excited to spend Christmas with everyone. She was excited to see Nissa too, but spending a week at the Manor seemed less and less appealing as time went on. They were rousted in the middle of the night with news of Mr. Weasley being attacked while on guard at the Ministry.

Soon enough, they were all at Grimmauld Place and she no longer had to worry about going to the Manor. There was no way her dad would send her there after such a big encounter between the two sides. She had already spent two hours holding George's hand and stroking his hair to try to help him calm down. He hadn't gone at it with Sirius to the extent that Fred did, but he was still angry and on edge. Everyone was tense with worry, waiting for some kind of update on Mr. Weasley's condition. She was a little worried about Ginny; she hadn't moved since she curled up in the chair. But she knew that nothing she could do would help.

She carefully stood and George looked worried, "I'll be right back, just going to the bathroom." She ruffled his hair; he had to relax.

When she came back into the hallway, he was leaning against the wall. "I couldn't sit in there anymore," he said solemnly.

She put a hand on his arm, "It's going to be okay. Harry's 'vision' helped us get your dad help as soon as we possibly could. He's being taken care of, he'll be alright." She hugged him tightly and looked up at him, hoping she had helped even a little. She barely caught a glimpse of his face before his mouth crashed hungrily onto hers. He was desperate for comfort.

The front door opened and they broke apart quickly, both looking guilty. Ignoring that, they both hurried to intercept any possible bearer of news. Meeting Mrs. Weasley in the hallway, their faces were equal parts hope and dread.

"He's okay," she said quickly. She wasted no time hurrying by us to tell everyone else.

George hugged her again, adding a joyful little spin toward the end. She grinned at him.

"Let's go join everyone else to celebrate," she said, pulling him back towards the group.

Everyone was smiling and hugging in the other room and they started making breakfast now that everyone's appetites had returned. She was overjoyed that Mr. Weasley was okay and excited for an excellent Christmas.

They all visited Mr. Weasley later in the morning and everyone felt better seeing him alive and well with their own eyes. She and George entered the room after everyone else; they were lagging a bit behind everyone else, hands clasped.

Everyone except Harry, Ron, Hermione and Fred stared at them. After a second of silence they cheered, the others joining in.

"What the hell?" she asked, confused.

Ignoring her, Mrs. Weasley rushed over to hug them both.

She reprimanded George, "George dear, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what Mum, what're you going on about?"

She gestured grandly to their interlaced fingers.

"We've been waiting ages for you two to get together son," said Mr. Weasley knowingly.

"Well we're not officially," she mumbled. This garnered a lot of raised eyebrows.

"Not yet anyway," George added.

"No pressure though, thanks guys," she joked, hoping the red had faded from her cheeks.

All of the Weasley kids seemed happy to be near their father, perhaps just for the solid knowledge that he was really okay. But once Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny mentioned running into Professor Lockhart, she and the twins had to see him for themselves.

Her heart sank when they reached Lockheart's floor and ran into Neville and his grandmother. Neville had told Rowan all about her, so naturally, his grandmother scared the hell out of her.

Neville tried to breeze by, but his gram must have recognized her, because she stopped in her tracks, "Neville, is this the girl you told me about?" she asked sharply.

"Yes Gram," he put his head down.

Rowan expected to get yelled at for breaking her grandson's heart. She was prepared for it.

"No wonder it didn't work out Neville, she's even lovelier than the photograph you showed me." She said offhandedly, "You're much too pretty for him, my dear." Turning back to Neville, she continued, "You said she was smart too if I remember correctly, it's no wonder things didn't work out-"

Rowan cut her off, "I'm sorry to interrupt ma'am, but you're much too kind to me." She did her best to be polite, "Neville deserves a lot more credit. He's an amazing young man and a talented Herbologist and I really regret that now wasn't the time for us. But I'm very proud of him and you should be too."

His grandmother was slightly taken aback for a moment and then she turned to Neville, "Yes I suppose you're right. But we really must be going." She put a hand on his shoulder as they walked away.

"I'll see you guys at school," Neville turned back to wave, grinning.

"Happy Christmas!" she called after them.

She could hear his grandmother chattering all the way down the stairs about how she would regret her decision someday and that she was "a nice girl," but she would be sorry that she had let him get away. George looked a little hurt, so she took his hand and squeezed. They didn't have time to mess with Lockhart since they were due back with the others to say goodbye.

Back at Grimmauld Place, George took her aside, "Can I ask you something?"

"No." He looked taken aback. "I already know. It's what I said about Neville in the hospital, right?" George looked sheepishly at the ground, as if embarrassed. "George," she pressed her hand to his arm, "It wasn't the time for me and Neville because it was time for me and you. I feel bad about that because Neville got hurt, but I don't regret the way things have worked out."

"Do you think the time for you and him will come someday?"

"Right now, you're the one I want to be with. I can't imagine that changing." He looked relieved and she pulled him into a hug.

The next morning, they were cleaning and decorating. Much like Rowan had directed her troops during the snowball war, Mrs. Weasley divided them into groups and assigned them cleaning and decorating tasks as soon as they got up.

Rowan, Ginny, and Hermione, who had just arrived, had to decorate the dining room and the main hallway. The twins were going through the cabinets in the dining room, assisted by Sirius. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were decorating the entryway.

Sirius was bounding around singing to Christmas music and laughing at the jokes the twins made.

The girls strung garland and decorated the large tree while they whispered about the guys.

"So, Ginny, did you get Harry anything for Christmas?" Rowan asked casually, grinning over her shoulder as Ginny handed her ornaments.

"Not this year. I thought about it, but I didn't think it was a good idea. I was thinking maybe just some candy or something, but just decided not to bother," she said, shrugging.

"I swear; that boy has to pull his head out of his arse. You've liked him for how many years now?"

She sighed, "I think it's time I just got over him."

Hermione gave a sympathetic smile.

"I only half agree. Don't wait around for him. Go enjoy yourself, live a little. But that doesn't mean that you have to forget about him either. And honestly Hermione, the same could be said for you and Ron. He's rather thick, but odds are he'll figure it out eventually. I saw you guys holding hands the other morning, which is great. But don't wait for him to stop being a twat."

They laughed and Rowan grinned.

"How are things going with George anyway?" Hermione asked, clearly not wanting to discuss Ron anymore.

"Good, good, I think I'll make it official on Christmas day."

"Oooh, that'll be cute," Ginny said excitedly.

"Is that all the decorations?" she asked, hanging the last ornament.

"Just the star is left. Then the hallway shouldn't take too long," Hermione said.

"You guys go get started out there, I'll put the star up," she said casually, her heart beating a little faster.

"George, a little help?" she called over, shaking the star at him.

He bounded over and swept her up quickly.

"Whoa, hey, slow down," she said, throwing her arms around his neck for balance.

"Too late," he said teasingly, straightening up to lift her. He slid his arms around her waist and lifted.

"Almost," she stretched. "Got it!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, he loosened his grip on her waist, allowing her to slip through his arms. She let out a surprised squeak, but he tightened his grip again just before she touched the ground and pecked her on the lips.

"Gotcha," he said with a cocky smile.

"George Weasley, you git, that wasn't funny!" she said adamantly.

"Hey, I'd never actually let you fall," he said softly, stroking her cheek. Her face got hot.

"Don't you be sweet to me, I'm mad at you," she complained.

"Why not? It's adorable watching you go red," he said, grinning widely.

"Humph," she turned away and headed to the door, where Ginny and Hermione were peeking through. Sirius and Fred grinned at her on her way out. She burst out laughing.

"That was adorable!" Ginny said, laughing as well.

"Your brother is an idiot!" she complained, although she couldn't keep from grinning.

At the end of the day, they finished decorating in high spirits, standing back to admire their handiwork. Mrs. Weasley was bustling around, making adjustments; fixing crooked garland, adjusting ornaments, and making sure tinsel was evenly distributed. Rowan leaned on the doorway to the dining room, watching her work.

"Did you need something dear?" Mrs. Weasley glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh no, just watching you work. At home, I do all the decorating and my dad couldn't care less so the decorations are always crooked," she replied with a half-smile, "I'm taking notes."

She gave a soft chuckle, "I'll admit, I can't picture your father putting the star on the tree." She added quickly, "Not that there's anything wrong with that dear."

"I know." Rowan smiled, "You don't have to worry, you won't offend me. I know better than anyone how my dad is. I love the guy, but he's, er, reserved. That's why I like spending time with you guys," she went pink.

Mrs. Weasley cocked her head and clucked, "You know you're always welcome. Especially now that, well, you know-well you're practically family." Rowan felt her cheeks get hot; it's not like she and George were getting married.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley."


	15. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Christmas morning dawned and she woke up to Hermione and Ginny already opening their presents. Grinning widely, she tore into her pile of gifts. She received a homework planner from Hermione, which she thanked her profusely for, making Hermione blush. She got chocolate frogs from Harry and Every Flavor Beans from Ron. Ginny got her some new paint brushes, which she was excited to try out; Ginny was one of the few people that knew she liked to paint. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave her the classic Weasley sweater; a deep amethyst color, with a white "R" on it and some mince pies. From Remus and Sirius, a book of fun charms, the ones that were best for pranking highlighted. From her dad, a letter wishing her a Happy Christmas telling her he would be stopping by later with her gift. Fred gave her the sweater she had been fawning over in a Hogsmeade shop. From George, a small velvet box. Nestled inside was a silver charm bracelet. There were charms for all the things she loved; a paintbrush, a tiny cauldron, a wand, a book, the symbol for Gemini, obviously a representation of the twins, and a tiny phoenix. Despite herself; she felt tears prick at her eyes; it was absolutely beautiful. She clasped it on and bounded toward the stairs.

Fred and George intercepted her on the stairs, "You do not want to go down there."

"Why not? I want to thank everyone for my gifts. Isn't your dad home today too?" she asked cautiously.

"Percy sent his gift back, unopened. Mum's a mess," Fred said bitterly. She narrowed her eyes; Percy was a twat. They'd never gotten along. He had always distrusted her because of her father and his dislike only intensified once she bonded with the twins. She thought he was pompous and arrogant and most importantly; ungrateful for the family he was so lucky to have. However, she knew better than anyone that even when your family member was a twat, that didn't necessarily mean that you wanted to hear others speak badly about them, so she kept quiet.

They trooped back up the stairs to warn the others to stay away for a bit and she thanked Ron and Harry for her gifts and wished them a Happy Christmas. She pulled George aside in the hallway.

"Thank you so much," she twirled one of the charms. "This is beautiful."

He grinned, "I'm glad you like it."

"The little Gemini is clever," she leaned in close.

He looked proud.

"But I think I should get one for just you, don't you think?" she asked quietly.

His neck went red.

"What?"

"I have one."

"A charm for yourself?"

"Yes."

"Then why isn't it on here? Unless," she thought for a moment, "You were saving it?"

He nodded, "For when we were official."

She smirked, "You should probably go get it then."

He grinned and pulled the charm out of his breast pocket. It was a piece of licorice.

"You know about that?" She went pink.

He grinned, "Angelina told Fred."

"And you were going to carry that around with you until we got together?"

"I was going to ask later," he said, happily.

They joined everyone in the dining room and told them that they could stop holding their breath. It seemed to cheer Mrs. Weasley up considerably.

Her dad finally showed up just as dinner was ending. Everyone else quieted slightly, but her dad hugged her hello and handed her a small box wrapped in silver paper.

Inside was a hairpin, old fashioned and silver with an emerald set on the end.

"Oh wow, this is gorgeous," she said, surprised. Last year he gave her a potions set for Christmas, so this was as unexpected, to say the least.

"It was your grandmother's," he said quietly. She turned it over between her fingers, feeling the cool metal between her fingers.

She hugged him, "Thanks Dad."

She handed him his gift; a new set of robes and a book. It wasn't much, but he was a hard man to shop for; he didn't want much. He didn't stay long after that she was nearly ready for bed. She was full to bursting with Mrs. Weasley's Christmas dinner, which had been spectacular, as usual. She was disappointed that she didn't get to see Nissa, but she would write to her tomorrow.

She bid everyone good night and headed upstairs. In the hallway just before she reached her bedroom, she heard someone bounding down the hall. There was only one person it could be. She braced herself as George swept her up once again.

"This is quickly becoming a habit with you," she laughed. He nuzzled into her neck in response. "George, I'm exhausted, I want to go to bed."

"Where do you think we're going?"

She sighed; she only hoped his mother didn't try to wake him up in the morning. He gave her a minute into change into a pair of his pajamas, and then came back in, slipping under the covers and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You guys are disgusting," Fred said bitterly.

Waking up to such optimism aside, it was blazing hot. Her face on his chest, she was curled around George's side. The positioning was comfortable, but the warmth was too much. She slipped out from under the covers and headed down the next floor to bathe and change into her own clothes. She peered back into the twins' room; George was still sleeping so she quietly closed the door and crept away.

As soon as she passed the bedroom, Ginny who was also getting ready, bombarded her with questions.

"I assume you were with George last night? I hope you made Fred feel awkward. How did it go? We covered for you with mum, so you're all set there-"

"Yeah, he kind of kidnapped me last night," she laughed. "Fred told us we were disgusting, so I'd say that was a mission accomplished. Thanks for covering for me with your mum, I'm not a fan of dying an early death."

She grinned, "I'm so happy you guys are official now, I've been waiting for so long! Now we'll be like sisters."

Rowan smiled a little; she already considered Ginny to be like a sister, but her optimism was encouraging.

"Oh! I think I heard someone say your dad was here again," she made a face.

"That's weird; I didn't think I would see him again until the next meeting." She quickly headed downstairs, hoping nothing was wrong.

Sure enough, her dad was sitting at the breakfast table silently. He looked very out of place among all of the cheerful faces and the chatter.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon," she said, pulling up the chair next to him and grabbing some toast.

"I spoke with Professor Dumbledore and he helped me make arrangements for you to see Narcissa today," he said quickly. It was easy to tell he was eager to leave. "Are you ready?"

"I don't even know what I'm doing yet, so I can't really tell you if I'm ready," she teased.

"She thought it would be nice for the two of you to go shopping. Christmas is over but-"

"She can find an occasion to shop anytime, so it doesn't matter," she finished for him. "Hold on, I have to grab her present," she said quickly, dashing up the stairs. She returned and he continued to briskly lead her through the house.

Once out the door, they apparated to Diagon Alley. Narcissa was waiting for them outside of the Three Broomsticks.

"Hey!" she ran over to give her a hug.

Nissa looked overjoyed to see her.

"How was your Christmas? Did Lucius get you anything nice?" she asked, grinning.

"I'll see you two later," her dad declared, disappearing. She and Narcissa linked arms and proceeded down the street.

"Christmas was nice, but Lucius dropped the ball, again," she grimaced.

"Don't tell me, another necklace?"

She nodded.

"And let me guess, Draco just signed his name on it again?"

She laughed, "You guessed it."

"He's fifteen, he can't get away with that for much longer," Rowan said crossly.

"Well at least tell me that your dad didn't give you another potions set this year," she said jokingly.

"Actually, he gave me this," she said, pulling the pin out of her hair. "He said it was my grandmother's."

She examined it, "This is gorgeous and very old. This must have been passed down to your grandmother as well."

"Really?" she asked curiously.

She nodded, "This is at least from the late eighteen-hundreds, if not earlier."

She slipped the pin back in her hair carefully as they entered a clothing shop. Narcissa glanced over and caught sight of the charms jingling on her wrist.

"Any boys to discuss yet?" she asked casually, somehow knowing exactly where the bracelet had come from.

She hesitated; there was no way she was telling her about Neville. She wished it was something she could talk about with Nissa, but Bellatrix being her sister; it just wasn't a good idea.

"Just one. George."

"One of those Weasley boys?" It was obvious that she didn't approve, but she kept her comments to herself, which Rowan greatly appreciated.

"One of the twins," she specified. She jangled the bracelet, "This was my Christmas present."

She looked at it, "This is actually pretty nice." She seemed surprised.

They both headed towards the changing rooms with armfuls of clothes.

"We'll have to look around for some more charms for it today," she said cheerfully.

Rowan knew Nissa didn't approve of her choice, but she also knew that as long as he treated her right, Nissa wouldn't be rude about someone important to her. It was kind of an unspoken agreement between the two of them. She didn't discuss her "personal business" the same way that Rowan didn't discuss the Order. Those parts of their lives were kept separate. Of course, it helped that the Death Eaters thought she was playing double agent like her father.

"What do you think?" she asked, modeling each outfit.

"Definitely get the blouse, I would pass on the pants, and you're wearing the dress out, let's go find some stockings or something so you'll be warm enough."

Rowan grinned; Nissa was quick and to the point, the perfect shopping partner. She tried on a few things, looking amazing in all of them. Rowan told her which ones she liked best and they moved on to the next shop.

"So, things are going well with this boy? He's being good to you?"

"Definitely. I mean, we've only been official since yesterday, but I made him wait a while and impress me for a couple of weeks beforehand. But I like him a lot; I have for a long time."

She smiled, "Good to hear. How's your dad feel about it?"

"I think he just pretends that it isn't happening," she chuckled.

They continued to gossip and shop, the day passing by quickly. They ate lunch at a small café.

She checked her watch, "It's almost three, what time did my dad say we were meeting up?"

"I think he said three, we have just enough time to go get the new charms for your bracelet."

They had all kinds of jewelry in the shop and a plethora of charms. Narcissa picked one out; it was a little girl clutching a stuffed bear.

"This one reminds me of your first night at my house," she said with a wistful smile.

"If I remember correctly, it was a cat back then," she said pensively.

"Well you definitely have to have this one."

"I kind of like this one," came a voice from behind her.

She didn't turn, "Which one dad?"

He held it in front of her, it was a little doe.

"That's really cute, the eyes really draw you in," she examined it.

He addressed the girl behind the counter, "I'll get this one."

"Dad, you don't have to do that," she protested. "You already gave me a Christmas present."

"It's not expensive, besides, you should have a charm for your mom on there," he said quietly.

"Wait, why a doe?"

"I'll tell you more another time."

She desperately wanted to argue, but she knew from experience that she wouldn't get any more from him. Even this little hint was more than she'd ever gotten before. She quickly added the charm to her bracelet, admiring it as Narcissa joined them again.

"Here's the other," Narcissa said happily. "It's supposed to be enchanted for family protection."

"Perfect," she grinned.

"It's time to get you back, you have to pack your things up tonight," her dad said firmly.

"Thank you so much for today Nissa, I had a great time." Rowan handed Narcissa the present she had been carrying around all day, "Happy Christmas."

She opened it up and cupped a hand over her mouth. It was a scrapbook of photos of her family, Rowan included. Rowan could tell throughout the day that Nissa had really missed her, so she was pleased with her choice of gift. Rowan knew how Lucius and Draco tended to neglect her. Narcissa gave her a long hug and clutched the book to her chest.

"Thank you so much, I love this," she said a bit tearfully.

Rowan smiled, "Hopefully I'll see you again soon.

They left the shop and she took her dad's arm and they quickly apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

It was obvious that her dad didn't want to come in any further than the entryway, so he hugged her and kissed her forehead before quickly leaving. She went into the dining room, pleased with how the day had gone.


	16. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione were in the kitchen cooking, while Sirius and Mr. Weasley chatted at the table.

Mrs. Weasley bustled over busily, "Rowan honey, George was looking for you." Ginny gave her a strange look as she left the room, but she assumed it was probably because she had spent the day with a Malfoy.

She went upstairs cheerfully, excited to see George. She passed Fred on the stairs and he raised his eyebrows. Not the playful kind of eyebrow-raise either.

"What was that look for?" she asked, confused.

"George was worried about you today," he said tentatively.

"Why? I was shopping with Narcissa, I was only gone a few hours, I even had Dumbledore's approval. There was nothing to worry about."

"I think it had something to do with the fact that you didn't tell him you were leaving. But, that's all him, not me. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"Is he mad?" Fred shrugged. "Can you please explain to me how he has any reason to be angry?" she demanded. Fred was silent. "Don't tell me that you agree with him?"

"I think it would have been nice if you had told him that you were leaving. But no, I don't think he should be mad," he added quickly.

She was silent for a moment, thinking. There was no way she was apologizing; she hadn't done anything wrong. She was only gone for a few hours. Being George's girlfriend shouldn't mean that she had to report to him about everything she did.

"Well, I have packing to do. I'll talk to you later," she said quickly, changing direction and going to her room. Fred seemed a little concerned, but said nothing else.

She began tracking down all of her things and stuffing them in her trunk. She only got halfway packed when George came in.

"Can I help you?" she asked briskly.

"Don't tell me that you're mad at me," he said, upset.

"I could say the same."

"I have every right to be upset! You disappeared, didn't say goodbye, didn't say anything!"

"Let me just stop you right there, I didn't just disappear, half the house knew where I was going and I was picked up by my dad; let's not forget, with Dumbledore's approval. I didn't tell you because you were sleeping. You were sleeping and I didn't think it was worth it to wake you so I could go out for a few hours. It's not like I need your permission!"

"No, you don't need to ask my permission, but I still would've liked to know you were leaving. I was worried about you! You were with a Malfoy!"

"A Malfoy who has been like a mother to me! You don't get to decide which company I keep and I don't have to report to you! I'm almost seventeen, I'm an adult. I don't know if you can handle this, because I would never have accepted this bracelet if I knew it came with a leash!"

He looked hurt. She knew it was harsh, but she wasn't going to be told what to do. She liked George a lot and she wanted things to work, but they needed boundaries. She wanted to say those things, but she couldn't quite get them out. George turned and left, shutting the door a little harder than he intended. The portrait of Sirius' mother started shrieking in response, but her screams were easier to listen to than the eerie quiet of the house after she stopped.

She finished packing quickly and decided to break out the new brushes Ginny had given her for a therapeutic painting session. She was only about halfway through when Hermione came up to tell her that dinner was ready.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

"Later, after dinner is over, but yes, very much," she answered dismally.

She sat between Ginny and Ron at dinner instead of her usual spot in between the twins. She stayed quiet, eating quickly. Everyone glanced at her and George periodically, while George himself glanced up whenever he thought she wouldn't notice.

She helped Mrs. Weasley clean up afterwards.

Mrs. Weasley gave her a concerned look, "Are you okay dear?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"You're sure things are okay with you and George? You two didn't sit together at dinner. Or look at each other."

"We had an argument, but it'll be fine. It's something stupid. It's nothing to worry about."

"I'm sure you two will be fine, but don't forget that even if it seems silly to you, it might not be to George. You guys signed up to be considerate of each other's feelings."

Rowan thought about what she said and felt a little bad. She still thought George was reacting unreasonably, but she wasn't exactly considerate about it either. It definitely wasn't worth fighting about. But apologies weren't her strong suit. She finished cleaning up quietly and headed upstairs to finish her painting. It was small, but she didn't want to have to take it back to school and finish it there. It would also give a bit of time to figure out how to apologize to George.

Hermione and Ginny were in the room, but they chatted easily, leaving her to decide whether to talk or not, which she greatly appreciated. She worked steadily and was almost finished when George popped his head back in.

"Can we talk?" he asked quietly.

As if on cue, Hermione and Ginny quickly vacated the room leaving her alone with George.

"Sure," she agreed nervously. She wished she had a little more time to figure out what to say, but she would rather get it over with than put it off any longer.

She could tell he wasn't sure what to say so she blurted out, "I'm sorry."

He looked surprised, "Really?"

She hesitated a little, "Yes. I didn't think about your feelings. I should've known you would worry. I'm not used to having to do that I guess."

He gave a small smile, "I shouldn't have gotten mad. It was a little thing. I guess I was just so pleased that we were together that I expected too much, way too soon. You're independent. I know that, it's what I like about you. I don't want that to go away."

"I don't either, but I'll work on this whole 'partnership,'" she smiled back.

He came over, sat, and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Good deal."

"Be careful of my paint, you dork," she said, lightly elbowing him in the ribs.

"The painting looks nice," he said contentedly.

"I'm almost done," she stood and stretched.

He snatched at the skirt of her dress, "The dress is nice too. I like it."

She grabbed his hands, "I thought you would. It looks nice with the bracelet." She grinned at him. "Speaking of which, you never told me what you thought of your presents."

She had given him an easy-vanish cauldron, for developing products for the shop along with a new broomstick. It was only a Nimbus 2001; it was the best she could afford and though it was a bit dated compared to the Firebolt, it was much better than his old Cleansweep.

"They were perfect, you didn't have to get me both," he said with a small smile.

"Well I only actually got you the broom. The cauldron was easy enough to enchant myself, but I figured it would be handy to give Lee a break during product testing," she said, laughing a little.

He smiled, "I love that."

"Love what? Giving Lee a break? I mean, I suppose, yeah," she teased.

"Your laugh," he said seriously.

She felt her cheeks warm as she went red.

"That too," he teased back.

"Stop it," she complained.

"Stop what?" he asked innocently.

"You know damn well what," she said, reddening further and turning away.

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, "I really have no idea what you mean. You're just really cute."

"Shut up."

He laughed.

"I- I really need to finish this painting," she said quickly.

"You do that, I'm going to observe the creative process."

She shot him a steely glare, sitting back down on the floor. He sat right behind her and peered over her shoulder as she worked. She tried her best to ignore him; it was rather uncomfortable to be watched while painting.

She set her brush down triumphantly, "Done."

George nodded approvingly, "It's nice. I feel very enlightened, having seen a true artist at work." He placed a hand over his heart and sighed dramatically.

She quickly dipped her finger in the blue paint and swiped it down his nose. He immediately grinned and reached for her paints, but she grabbed his hand.

"Ah; new dress. That's a no-go, my friend."

"That was a cheap shot then, friend," he said deviously.

He reached around and pulled her in, kissing her playfully. He deepened it a bit, but she pulled away once she realized that her nose was most likely entirely blue as well as the entire middle of her face, seeing as George had paint smeared everywhere.

"You sneaky little-" she began threatening.

"That's a good color on you," he said, laughing cheerfully.

"I wish I could say the same for you," she teased, wrapping his red hair around a non-blue finger.

"You know I look great," he said, puffing out his chest.

"Of course," she grinned.

They quickly headed for the bathroom to wash the paint off their faces, but not before most of the household caught sight of their artwork; they greeted the pair of them with amused expressions and laughter.

"Think we can give waking up together another shot? I promise not to disappear again," she joked.

He grinned, "I would love to." He held out a pinky and she grinned at him, offering up her own. She had to admit, that was adorable.

"I'll meet you upstairs," she said with a smile. She changed quickly, bidding Ginny and Hermione a good night.

Fred groaned when she walked into the room, "Don't tell me that you two are going to spend the whole night being adorable to make up for that fight."

She patted his cheek as she walked by, "You better believe it Freddie; someday you'll understand these adult matters."

George laughed and opened his arms from his bed and encased her once she settled in.

She sighed contentedly, "Suck it Fred." George snorted and laced his fingers through hers. She quickly snuggled up to him and was out like a light.


	17. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

They were up early the next morning, heading to King's Cross in a chaotic jumble. The twins were slightly quieter than usual after the stern lashing out they'd received from Mrs. Weasley that morning. However, once they reached the platform and met up with Lee, they cheered up considerably.

Lee's face split into a wide grin upon seeing her and George's interlaced fingers.

"It's about time!" he shouted over the rabble. She grinned and squeezed George's hand.

They said their goodbyes to the adults and boarded the train, looking for an empty compartment. They started a game of Exploding Snap, catching Lee up on the events of the holidays. He was very interested in visiting Lockhart and rolled his eyes when Fred mockingly imitated our fight.

Rowan punched him on the arm, "Shut up Fred!"

George put a hand to his chest, "It was an emotional time for us; you're so insensitive."

They all laughed and finished the game. She lost horribly, so she sat out the next game, laying her head on George's lap and putting her feet on Fred.

She sighed contentedly, "Thanks guys."

Fred scoffed and George smoothed her hair down.

"Shh," he said playfully.

After a stressful morning being rushed out of the house, a moment of peace was nice. That is, until she received an exploding snap to the ear. She bolted up, not amused. Fred guiltily pointed at George.

"Seriously? That hurt!" she complained, placing a hand over her ear.

George leaned up against the side of the car and pulled her back against his chest. She was actually a little pissed at Fred; her ear really did hurt. But she let it go for the most part, glowering at him before relaxing into George's chest and closing her eyes again. She could hear Lee let out a light chuckle.

"Laugh it up Lee, you'll get yours," she muttered bitterly.

George's chest rumbled as he laughed as well.

"I'm pretty sure I hate all of you," she grumbled.

They laughed again and George rubbed circles on her hand.

Fred and Lee conspired in the corner of the compartment but the rest of the ride passed quickly. Soon they arrived back at the castle and hurried to the common room to avoid the chilliness of the corridors. All throughout the halls, she and George received wolf-whistles and catcalls; it seemed that everyone knew they would end up together except the pair of them.

Once finally in the warm haven of the common room, they finally separated to unpack. Angelina was already in the dormitory unpacking her own things. Rowan greeted her cheerfully as she dove into her trunk, trying to sort her things. They were both silent for a few minutes until Angelina took a deep breath.

"You and George are really adorable together. Like the perfect couple," she said trying to be cheerful.

"Thanks Angelina," she replied awkwardly, not sure what she was getting at.

"Has, uh, Fred mentioned me at all?"

She thought back to the holidays; she could remember a brief mention here and there, but nothing more.

"A bit, yeah. Why?"

"I dunno, I guess I'm feeling kind of, strung along, you know? He hasn't made a move to make things serious yet. It's starting to feel like just friends," she confessed anxiously.

She thought carefully before answering. "I'm pretty sure he likes you," she began. "But that's just from what I can see. He hasn't talked to me about it or anything, so I can't say for sure. If you want my advice though, if it's starting to feel like just friends, just tell him. He's pretty thick, he might not realize how you're feeling."

She seemed a bit put out. Rowan knew it wasn't the answer she was looking for. She wanted romance, which might seem less meaningful if you had to ask for it.

"I'm sorry I'm not much help," she said, feeling a bit bad for her. "If it's any consolation, Fred's a right pain in the arse," she joked.

She smiled solemnly and went back to unpacking her things. Rowan quickly put her stuff away, eager to get out of the awkward situation. She grabbed one of the new books she had gotten in Diagon Alley and hastily went down the stairs.

She claimed a sofa in the corner of the common room and started reading. Not long after she started, George came down. She didn't pay him much mind until he plucked the book from her hands and thoroughly examined it as though he'd never seen one before.

"Give it back you git," she said impatiently.

"No need to be so rude," he said loftily. "How's your ear?" he asked, half joking and half serious.

"It's fine. But if Fred pulls that again, I'm pushing his bed into the lake."

George grinned, "That's my girl."

She went slightly pink and the butterflies returned; she liked the sound of that.

"But in all seriousness, someone should tell him to get a move on with Angelina if he doesn't want her to lose interest. She's getting impatient and having doubts."

He sighed, "So is Fred. He's really dragging his feet now and he knows it."

"It's not like they're getting married, they're just dating," she said pensively.

He was quiet for a moment, "That doesn't mean it doesn't matter though."

"No, that's not what it means at all. Of course it matters. It just doesn't have to be permanent. They can just enjoy each other's company and not force anything more," she said quickly. She knew what he was thinking.

"I suppose that makes sense," he said, nodding.

"Things like marrying your boyfriend from school are great, but you can't expect it. It's not always logical and it puts pressure on the relationship," she explained logically.

He was quiet. She sighed.

"I didn't hurt your feelings, did I? I'm just trying to think logically."

"No, you didn't, I know you're right. But call me a hopeless romantic here; I'd like to hope a little."

She smiled at him, "I'm glad."

"But you just said-"

"I just said you can't expect it. You can't assume that it's going to happen and make decisions around just making things work, rather than your happiness. But you do have to hope a little. No one wants to be in a relationship with no hope for the future," she pointed out.

He hesitated, "Why do you know everything? You've spent a considerable amount of time thinking about this."

"I mean I've thought about it; overthinking is what I do. And I would like to get married someday."

"I think I can handle that."

"I hope so, I can't have you getting tired of my endless knowledge," she teased.

He put an arm around her shoulders, "I don't think there's any danger of that."


	18. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next few weeks passed in a blur, between homework, D.A., and George, Rowan barely had time to breathe.

Soon enough, the Hogsmeade weekend was upon them and Valentine's Day was that same Saturday. At the last D.A. meeting of that week, she dragged the twins away from Harry, who was blatantly eyeing Cho from across the room.

"Move along you two, Harry has business to attend to," she said briskly, dragging them by the arms.

"What business?" George said obliviously, turning back to look at Harry, who was now inching in Cho's direction. Comprehension dawned on his face and he opened his mouth wide. Reading his mind, she clapped and hand over it.

"Do not ruin this for him. I know as well as anyone how much fun it is to make fun of awkward couples," she said giving Fred a look. "But it's taken Harry five years to get this far. Cho is an emotional mess and you could really blow this for him if you say the wrong thing. Blink twice if you understand."

George blinked twice but before she removed her hand, he licked it as much as he could.

She made a face, "Ugh George that's so disgusting!" She wiped her hand on his cheek and spent the rest of the walk to the common room lecturing both twins on how gross your hands are. They didn't seem to pay her much mind.

She sighed loudly, "You two are hopeless." George ruffled her hair and laughed while Fred raised his eyebrows.

Fred put on an absurdly deep voice, "We're men; we aren't scared!"

She scoffed, "Something like that." She poked him in the ribs and he slapped her hand away. She grinned, "What's wrong? Do you manly men have a weakness? Maybe a ticklish spot, is that it?"

"Pfft, what? No way," he said defensively.

She laughed at him as they came to the portrait hole. "Did you guys want to demonstrate the Vanishing Hats today? Where did Lee get off to?"

The two of them split, Fred dashing up to their dormitory to grab the hats and George went off to look for Lee. She plopped down on the sofa next to Angelina.

"Is it bad if I want him to ask me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Rowan asked her tentatively.

"Why would it be? You guys are official now right?"

"Yeah, we are, but that means he might not. He might just assume, which is fine, but it would still be nice to be asked, you know?"

"Yeah I get that. I was really glad when Fred asked me earlier. I was really worried that he'd lost interest in me," she said nervously.

"He asked you?"

"Finally," she laughed tensely.

"I'm so glad! I was worried that things were going to fall through," she admitted.

"Me too, I feel a lot better. Back to your question though, it's definitely not bad for you to want him to ask you. You guys just started dating, it's totally understandable."

Rowan felt better, "Thanks Angelina. I hope things go well tomorrow."

Fred came trotting down the stairs, his arms full of plumed hats. She grinned at him and waved him over. Peering around the feathers, he had a brief moment of concern, seeing her and Angelina together, but navigated his way through the common room. Soon after, George and Lee bounded through the portrait hole, eager to show off their latest creation.

They began demonstrating, plopping a hat on a random student; his friends laughing in surprise. Sweeping the hat off the boy and onto himself, George's head promptly vanished and everyone in the common room cheered. The hats were definitely going over well. Half the common room was gathering around, lining up to buy one. Hermione sat in the corner, her lips pursed, but Rowan doubted she would complain as long as no one was getting sick. Not that had stopped them from selling dozens of the Skiving Snackboxes. It didn't take long for them to sell out; the twins were already assuring those who had missed out that there would be more very soon.

After the crowd dispersed, the four of them relaxed in the corner. Fred and Angelina avidly discussed their plans for Hogsmeade the next day and she really hoped that George would mention it. She leaned back and closed her eyes. George put his head on her shoulder, but still didn't say anything. It was starting to get late, so she said goodnight to everyone and swept upstairs. She knew she shouldn't have gotten herself worked up by expecting it and then being disappointed, but logic could hardly stand up against feelings.

The next morning Angelina woke her up bright and early.

"Rowan, George is waiting for you downstairs; he says you should wear your dress today."

She couldn't see straight at first, but once she rubbed her eyes and her vision cleared, she could see that Angelina was grinning widely.

"Was goin' on?" she mumbled blearily.

"I shouldn't say, just get ready! You're gonna love it!" Angelina said giggling, before she hurried back down the stairs.

She got dressed quickly, putting on the dress she'd gotten in Diagon Alley with Narcissa and swiping a bit of makeup on to try and mask her sleepiness. She ran a brush through her hair and decided to go with a ponytail since she didn't have time for anything really nice. She sighed and accepted that it was the best she was going to get on a time limit. Dashing down the stairs, she was eager to see what Angelina was so giddy about.

At the bottom of the stairs, George stood waiting, dressed to the nines in a tuxedo. Not even dress robes, a full-on tux, bowtie and all. She felt her face light up with a smile.

He held out an arm, "My dear." Putting her arm through his, he led her through the castle and down the gates where Filch checked their names off the list. He looked like he had a bitter comment, but his trepidation involving her father made him bite his tongue. They continued their stroll into the village, George leading the way. He took them directly to a small café, which she was grateful for, having not even thought about breakfast until they passed the Great Hall on their way down. They ordered breakfast and she smiled happily while they waited.

"I'm feeling a bit underdressed Georgie, you're really rocking that tux," she grinned.

"I better be, with what it cost me," he said with a laugh. "And don't worry, you look gorgeous," he added with a wink. She went pink, hoping he wouldn't notice the difference since they just came out of the cold. However, his grin said otherwise.

"I was a little worried that you weren't going to do anything for today," she admitted quietly.

"I didn't want you to know what I had planned, but I didn't want you to worry too much. Angelina was having a really hard time keeping the secret, so I was afraid she was going to spoil it."

"She knew?"

"For a couple weeks now," he said with a sly grin.

"That's impressive. She was great. I had no idea." Their breakfast finally arrived and she was ecstatic. They dug in, obviously both famished. They finished quickly and left the café. She noticed that George tipped exceptionally well.

"Has business really been that good lately? I haven't looked at the numbers recently," she questioned.

"It's been going really well, ever since Harry gave us his Triwizard Winnings we've been able to get our products produced which is great advertising. We're selling faster than we can produce right now. Honestly, we could easily start the shop up right now."

They automatically drifted towards Zonkos, which was mildly ironic since they were currently planning on taking the top spot for joke shops.

"I didn't know things were going that well, I've just been churning out products when you guys ask and keeping up with homework."

"That's why George and I don't bother with homework; it's just a waste of time."

"I actually agree; it's not really doing anything for me at this point. I have my N.E.W.T. level classes covered to the middle of next year's curriculum and it's not even spring yet. I could easily pass my N.E.W.T.s right now."

They browsed in Zonkos, not seeing much that they were interested in. They were much less impressed by their products now that they'd developed their own. George wandered at her side, seemingly lost in thought.

"George, think we could go to Honeydukes? I really want some candy," she said, batting her eyelashes playfully. He grinned and they headed to the shop. The sugary warmth of the shop enveloped them as they walked in. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She heard George chuckle.

"Quit laughing, come on!" she said, grabbing his hand. Honeydukes was her favorite shop, so naturally she was as excited as a kid- well a kid in a candy shop. After making a round through the store, she placed a large bag full of candy on the counter.

The scrawny kid behind the counter said, "That'll be ten galleons and six sickles miss."

She pulled her wallet out but George beat her to it. He quickly paid the guy and grabbed her candy.

"George!" she said indignantly. "I can pay for that! Get back here!" He just hastened out of the store and waved her candy tauntingly through the display window. She emitted a frustrated grunt and dashed out of the store. George was halfway up the street doing a kind of Irish jig and grinning at her.

"You bloody git; I thought you were trying to be romantic!" she yelled at him, dashing up the street.

"You mean this isn't romantic?" he asked with fake concern, dodging her advances. She grabbed at the bag of candy and grabbed at his side. If Fred was ticklish there, odds are George was too. He intercepted her and grabbed her wrist, dragging her close and bringing his face to hers.

"Nice try babe. But there's only one way to get what you want," he said before he puckered his lips.

"Argh!" she made a mad grab for the bag with her other hand.

"Aw come on, don't you want to kiss me?"

"I can't- if it means- you win!" she said between attempts the break free or grab the candy.

"It's Valentine's Day, I've gotta win sometime don't I? Come on, I loooove you," he said grinning.

She froze. It took a second for George to realize what he'd said and his neck went scarlet.

"I, uh-"

She cut him off by gently pressing her lips to his.

"I love you too George," she said, smiling brightly just before she snatched the candy out of his stunned hands. "Ha, I win!" she said triumphantly. He didn't really seem to mind so much.

"I think we can call it a draw here," he said happily.

"As long as you feel like a winner Georgie," she said teasingly, biting into a chocolate frog. He just smiled.

"Oh, and here," she said as she pulled out her wallet. She tried to hand him the money for the candy.

"Nuh-uh," he said, shaking his head. "It's my treat, happy Valentine's Day." He kissed her forehead and dropped the coins back into her wallet.

She shook her head, "You're impossible." She looked at the ground to hide her smile. They meandered among the shops until they came to the Three Broomsticks. Ducking inside, they basked in the warmth. In one corner, a group of teachers conspired.

"It's kind of sad that they have to come here to talk freely. Umbridge is an out-and-out tyrant," she said scornfully. George nodded but didn't say anything. Against the opposite wall was the surprising group of Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Rita Skeeter. Rita's presence was stunning enough, she hadn't heard from her since the tournament. She was more concerned with the fact that Harry was supposed to be with Cho today, but that would have to wait until later.

She and George took a table in the center of the room and she went up to order drinks. George tried to pull out his money again but she pushed his hands down.

"My treat, it's Valentine's Day love," she mimicked him before shooing him back to their table. She ordered them two butterbeers from Madame Rosmerta and whispered to her conspiratorially, "Do you have any decent firewhiskey in?"

"I have some my dear, but you're only sixteen if I'm correct," she said with a wry smile.

"You are indeed correct, but it's for George who I'm sure you also remember is seventeen. But I'd like to give it to him as a Valentine's Day gift and it kind of ruins the romance if I just give him money and make him buy it," she said, making a face.

She deliberated. Rosmerta knew her dad, but she also knew her logic was sound.

"Alright dear, but don't make a habit of it alright? I can appreciate a good Valentine as well as anyone," she said with a smile.

"Thanks Rosmerta," she said gratefully. She hurried into the back, coming back with a bottle and two butterbeers. Rowan thanked her once again and headed back over to George, pleased with her negotiating.

He was pleased with the firewhiskey, but she told him, "This is for a special occasion; I don't want to stumble onto you and Fred drunk off your arses tomorrow night."

He laughed and agreed and they sipped their butterbeer and held hands over the table. It was romantic and cliché and she loved every minute of it. However, it didn't take long for them to finish and they'd both had their fill of the village, so they headed back up to the castle. They caught a late lunch in the Great Hall, which was mostly empty with most of the students still in the village. She caught her dad glancing at them from the staff table, but she was having too good of a day to pay him much mind.

Back in the common room, they curled up on the couch in front of the fire and snogged a bit before stretching out and drifting off.


	19. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next few weeks were a flurry of mixed emotions. Umbridge had tried and failed to kick Professor Trelawney out of the castle and since Dumbledore overrode her "authority", she had been even more horrible. She kept her head down in her class, but she heard all kinds of stories as slews of students came out of her detentions, their hands red and bloody. She no longer brought the subject up with George, seeing as she couldn't discuss it without going into a full rant. The only thing that made it bearable was D.A. The idea of resisting, doing the very thing Fudge feared and Umbridge forbade, allowed her to control the urge to hex her in the corridors. She was, however, getting plenty of practice.

George nimbly stepped to the side, dodging her jinx. He sent a rictusempra back at her, but she neatly blocked the tickling jinx and grinned at him.

Harry called for everyone's attention, "Alright everyone, you'll be glad to hear that we're going to be practicing the Patronus Charm today." A cheer went up. "But keep in mind; don't get disappointed if you can't get it today. It's a very complex charm, something full grown wizards struggle with. Just keep trying, think about the happiest thing you can remember. I'll come around and help you guys individually."

Normally she assisted Harry in the teaching, but a patronus was something even she hadn't fully mastered yet. It didn't take long before the room was full of faint silvery wisps. Harry wandered throughout the crowd, correcting grips and motivating students. He did remind everyone that producing one in a classroom was very different that producing one in front of a dementor or even a boggart.

She beamed, "Guys!" She called the twins attention to her, "Guys, look! There it is! I did it!" A gleaming fox dashed around, weaving in between her legs. She laughed happily. The twins renewed their efforts, not to be outdone by her. She glanced around, seeing faces light up as they got a little closer to success each time.

"Ro!"

She whipped around. Darting around Fred's ankles was a hyena, its face a seemingly permanent silent cackle.

"Oh Fred, it looks just like you!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Ha ha, just hilarious," he replied, one hand sassily on his hip. She grinned. George quickly renewed his efforts, not wanting to be left in the dust.

"So, what was your happy thought Fred?" she asked inquisitively.

"It was the idea of the joke shop taking off. Our shop full of kids who are ready to raise hell, George and I successful, so we can take care of Mum and Dad." He seemed to think he'd said too much and went red.

"That's great Fred," she said reassuringly.

"What was yours?" he asked, eager to change the subject.

"Easy, it-"

George's voice was ecstatic, "Look!" A silvery coyote dashed around in circles and George's face was alight with pride. Before she could congratulate him, a loud crack issued in the room, startling everyone. Concentration broken; the pack of silvery creatures dissipated. In the middle of the room was Dobby the House Elf, trembling in fear. He spoke briefly with Harry and panic registered on Harry's face.

"Run! Everyone go!" he ordered. A split second of stunned silence preceded everyone tearing in every direction, trying to get to a common room, the library, or the owlery. The twins each grabbed one of her hands, practically dragging her to the owlery.

"Guys, slow down, I can't keep up," she panted. Her legs just weren't long enough to match their strides. In unison, they lifted her off her feet and carried her down the corridor. She so badly wanted to protest, but now really wasn't the time.

The owlery was packed full of D.A. members, everyone wide eyed but surprisingly unafraid. They all looked ready to fight. She felt a surge of pride at the confidence they had. They waited silently for what felt like hours. In actuality, after a few minutes they slipped out in small groups to go back to their common rooms.

Soon enough, all of the Gryffindor members were back in the common room nervously awaiting word from someone. She imagined that all the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff members were doing the same and she hoped they had all made it back safely. Harry hadn't returned yet and Hermione was a right mess, crying about how foolish it was of her to forget the list of D.A. members' names.

Rowan patted her on the back, "It'll be okay Hermione, it's not your fault." She tried to reassure her, but she wasn't quite sure how they would get out of this one. Many others joined in, but she didn't cheer any until Ron awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. Rowan suppressed a smile. Harry didn't return for quite some time and when he did, his face was uncertain and a bit shaken.

"Dumbledore is gone," he whispered, a little hoarsely. He quickly recounted the story; Dumbledore taking responsibility for the D.A. and knocking out two aurors, the Prime Minister, Percy Weasley and Umbridge herself to escape incarceration. Everyone in the common room was half impressed by Dumbledore's actions and half horrified at the knowledge that he was no longer there to protect them.

The only ones not sporting a look of hopelessness were the twins. The pair of them were whispering in the corner, shooting furtive glances in the direction of the now-dispersing crowd.

"What are you lot whispering about?" she demanded.

They both hopped up with guilty expressions that she knew too well. She crossed her arms.

"Nothing love, we were just getting ready for bed," George said furrowing his brow like he always did when he lied.

"I was going to see if I could stay with you tonight, seeing as I won't be sleeping, but I think it's safe to assume that you aren't interested in sharing much tonight," she said resentfully. She did not appreciate being left out.

"George mate, I know it's a bit sooner than you were going to tell her, but it's not much of a secret now," Fred prodded.

"Tell me what?" she asked suspiciously, trying to mask her fear. Was he breaking up with her?

"Er," he hesitated, then sat back down, pulling her down with him, snuggling up as close as he could.

"You're scaring the hell out of me George, just say it, have a little humanity."

"I know, I know. Well, Fred and I, we've decided to leave," he admitted quietly.

"What do you mean leave?" She already didn't like the sound of this.

"There's no point in staying any longer. N.E.W.T.s won't help us with the joke shop. We aren't learning anything here anymore; Hogwarts is a mess. The only reason we haven't left yet is you."

"Me?" she could feel her lip tremble a bit, she'd always hated when it did that.

"I don't want to leave you."

"I still have another year. I need my N.E.W.T.s to be a teacher. You knew you would be leaving before me." She didn't know how to handle it. She didn't want him to go either, but she had always been painfully aware that they would be spending a year apart.

George seemed reluctant to say what he wanted to, "Come with us."

"George, I can't. I want to run the shop with you guys, but I want more than that too. I have my own plans and I can't mortgage my whole future for just one part of it. I- I don't want to be apart from you, but I don't see any other way."

"I knew that would be your answer. I just- I had to offer it to you." He stroked her cheek, "We'll make it work and you'll be able to do everything you want. I promise." He held out his pinky. She smiled sadly as she linked her pinky with his. "Now you're sure you'll be able to survive Umbridge without me?"

Her immediate reaction was "of course" but as she thought of walking the halls without George at her side, without Dumbledore up in his office watching over them, her eyes filled. It was going to suck.

George didn't say anything, but wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close.

She sniffled a little, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

In response, he lifted her up with impressive ease and carefully navigated the both of them upstairs. She ignored the looks of the few people left in the common room. He didn't even set her down before crashing into his bed. Their foreheads clunked together with a deep thunking sound.

"George!" she whispered furiously, rubbing her forehead.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized quickly, but she could hear the smile in his voice. He cut her off mid-huff with a quick kiss. "I love you."

She closed her eyes, wiggled in closer to him, and resolved to make the most of the time she had, "I love you too."

She was warm and comfortable in George's arms, but sleep eluded her. She could hear his snores and all she could wonder was how he could sleep. She was too entangled in the thoughts of heroically departing the school with her two best friends at her side. Nothing seemed more perfect after the events of the evening. But she knew deep down that it wasn't perfect. It was shortsighted and foolish. God, she sounded like her father. She could already picture his expression if she were to drop out of school.

Still, the prospect of another year of school without the twins was bleak. She got on well with most people, but she was close with very few. Hermione, Ginny, and Angelina were her girlfriends and she was friends with Harry and Ron, but no one would fill the hole the twins left. If only she were a year older; she knew she could pass her N.E.W.T.s. Her magic was far beyond that of the seventh years, although Professor McGonagall and her father had both advised her to keep that to herself.

She jumped, causing George to mumble in his sleep. Ignoring him, she slipped carefully out of bed, buzzing with adrenaline. She knew she couldn't wait until morning to ask, so she dressed quickly and quietly dashed down the stairs. Making sure to take the less travelled path to the dungeons, she managed to avoid the Inquisitorial Squad. Minutes later, she stood in her dad's office. She knew he would still be grading papers, so she had no worries about waking him.

"Has anyone ever graduated from Hogwarts early?" she asked quickly, watching him write a large "T" across the top of someone's essay.

He set his quill down suspiciously, "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" As if he didn't already know.

"I want to graduate this year," she said firmly.

"Out of the question," he replied fiercely, picking his quill back up.

"Why's that?"

"You're too young, you aren't even old enough to do magic outside of school."

"I will be in June, before this school year even ends," she countered.

"Hogwarts is the safest place for you, you aren't ready to be on your own yet," he said sharply.

She felt her hand automatically rise to her hip in indignation, "You and I both know that I'm not in any immediate danger in or outside of school. And you know damn well that my abilities are up to par." She said a little more softly, "Dad, don't underestimate me and lie to yourself because you're afraid."

His expression softened, but only for a moment, "I won't let you sell your future off to go run around with those twins."

She took a moment to put up mental shields. If she was going to bluff her way through this, she couldn't have him peeping around in her mind.

"Dad, I wasn't asking for your permission. No matter what you say, I'm still going to discuss it with Professor McGonagall in the morning. If you refuse to support my plan; that's up to you," she shrugged. "I don't know if I'll need you to sign off on this or not, but even if you refuse, I won't be returning to Hogwarts next year." She stared defiantly into his eyes. That was the big bluff. If he refused, she would have to return for one miserable year in order to become a professor like she had always dreamed.

He ran a hand through his hair, "You're going to send me to an early grave, you know that?" She conceded a small smile. "I'll go with you tomorrow morning to discuss it with Professor McGonagall."

She grinned and kissed his cheek, happy to have him open his mind a bit, even if she had no promises yet.

"Thanks Dad, I really appreciate it."

"You're too much like your mom, I couldn't win arguments with her either," he admitted, his expression bittersweet.

She sat down hopefully, "Really? How else am I like her?" It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, but he couldn't turn down the hope in her eyes.

"Those loose waves in your hair come from her, obviously," he drawled. "You have my eye shape, but that bright green you love so much is hers too. Your kindness comes from her; that inability to ignore someone in need and see the best in everyone. But you also don't tolerate people who mistreat others and you'll take them all on. That sense of justice and bravery was hers too." He seemed to deflate after that.

"You sell yourself short Dad, you're pretty brave yourself."

He mumbled something unintelligible; it was something about "wrong reasons". She decided not to press him. Maybe she could get a bit more from him another day.

She hugged him, "Thanks Dad. I love hearing about her. I'll see you in the morning."

She was almost out the door when he quickly said, "I love you Rowan. Good night." She turned and saw a dull flush in his cheeks.

"I love you too Dad."


	20. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next morning, she hurried to Professor McGonagall's office, eager to discuss her idea with her. After she knocked, Professor McGonagall came out, looking rather exhausted.

"Professor, I know right now isn't the best time-" she began.

"Nonsense dear, come in," she said briskly.

McGonagall ushered her in quickly, gesturing for her to sit.

"What do you need, Rowan?" she noticed she used her first name.

"I wanted to know if it was possible for me to take my N.E.W.T.s this year."

She paused, "Hypothetically, there are no rules against it, although I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing." Her dad slipped in and took a seat next to her, listening intently. "However, this does seem like the kind of thing the Headmaster would need to sign off on and now that Professor Dumbledore is gone, well it may not be possible."

"But you're my head of house, you can move me up to the next year; make it so for all technical purposes I am a seventh year."

She gave a curt nod in agreement, "That is true, but in order to get you approved for the N.E.W.T. exams, I would have to go through the ministry. Perhaps if I read into it a bit, I can find a loophole, but it just may not be possible until Professor Dumbledore returns." She seemed apologetic, but completely sure that Dumbledore would be back soon.

"If you need any help, I'll be looking into it myself," her dad said curtly.

"I must say, I'm rather surprised that you're on board with this Severus," Professor McGonagall said, pursing her lips.

"I have no reason not to be, she's far advanced. As much as I wish she could enjoy her time at school, I know it simply isn't possible right now." McGonagall nodded in response.

"We'll discuss the possible options further Rowan, you should go to breakfast," Professor McGonagall said sternly.

"Thank you, Professor, I'll see you later Dad," she left quickly, wanting to give them time to discuss.

Down in the Great Hall, everyone was buzzing about Professor Dumbledore's departure. Worse yet, Educational Degrees had appeared all over the school, declaring Umbridge the new Headmaster. As soon as she sat down, she was bombarded with people who were outraged over what had happened. Apparently, Umbridge had also given her Inquisitorial Squad the power to dock points, which meant that the rubies in the Gryffindor hourglass were probably empty. She scanned the table for the twins, but couldn't see them anywhere. Grabbing a piece of toast, she headed into the entrance hall and found them, along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie Macmillan.

The four fifth years headed into the Great Hall as she approached.

"You'd better go too, we don't need you getting caught up in this crossfire either," Fred said sternly.

"What crossfire?" she asked suspiciously.

"You'll see very, very soon, love," George said confidently.

She gave an exasperated sigh, "You guys, will you just tell me what's going on?"

"Sorry, this one is just between us," Fred said slinging an arm around George's shoulders.

"Now move along," they said in unison, pushing her back into the Great Hall.

A bit irritated, she plopped back down at the Gryffindor table, angrily biting into her toast. It didn't take long until the entire castle shook with one big boom. Everyone in the Great Hall jumped and one girl screamed. Half of the students sat in a numb state of shock and the other half was out the doors in a second to see what was going on. Chaos reigned as giant, sparkling, green and gold dragons tore through the corridors. The reeled off fiery blasts and loud bangs. Hot pink Catherine wheels that were five feet across spun through the air dangerously, while rockets with tails made of silver stars bounced from the walls, send the residents of the paintings running for cover. Sparklers wrote cuss words in the air and firecrackers went off with every step. Umbridge and Filch spastically ran around, trying their best to find a spell that would destroy them, but every spell they tried only multiplied the demonic fireworks. Classes went on as usual, each and every professor finding themselves unable to rid themselves of the blasts. Umbridge was forced to run from classroom to classroom, sweaty and covered in soot, to destroy fireworks for witches and wizards who were more than capable of doing it themselves.

The twins were swarmed in the common room later that night, so badly that even she couldn't get close. George seemed to be so busy taking ordered for 'Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-Bangs" that he hadn't even thought of her. After two hours of watching them, she headed up to bed, feeling more depressed and neglected than she cared to admit.

She lay in bed, allowing herself a moment to really be sad about George leaving. She couldn't let him know how upset she really was; she didn't need him feeling bad about doing what he wanted to do. But it would be nice if he spent the bit of time they had before he left with her, so they both had something to get them through the rest of the year apart. It was frustrating to see him surrounded by people who didn't really know him in the common room, people who would barely feel his absence once he was gone. She wasn't proud of how bitter she was feeling, so she rolled over to go to sleep, hoping she would feel a little more reasonable in the morning.

Before she could fall asleep, she heard a loud "WEEEE" as a bright pink sparkler soared through the stairway. Instead of spelling out a cuss word, it spelled out, "Lake?"

She whipped the covers off and pulled a pair of pants back on, mumbling under her breath about what a pain George Weasley was. She flounced down the stairs, half irritated and half excited to finally have George's attention. He was waiting for her outside the common room, sweeping her into a tight hug as soon as she stepped down. She felt herself melt, all of her anger dissipating. Unfortunately, once that anger was gone, she was left with gut wrenching sadness, knowing that he would be leaving soon. If there was one thing she was bad at, it was holding back tears and pretty soon they spilled over into George's robe. It took him a moment to notice, but he pulled back and seemed taken aback by the flow of tears. It was obvious he wasn't sure what to say, knowing that there wasn't much that would make it easier. She tried to wipe them away quickly but George just pulled her back in close, his hand on the back of her head. Instead of going down to the lake, they sat down next the portrait hole. She wasn't quite sure why sitting in the drafty corridor instead of out by the freshly de-thawed lake seemed like a better idea, but it did. She leaned into George's shoulder and fell asleep, despite being on the floor, despite being in the very cool corridor instead of bed, and despite the still drying tears on her cheeks. Despite all of it, she fell asleep right there because being with George made her feel at peace.


	21. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Easter holiday came and went and she still had no word from Professor McGonagall on the N.E.W.T.s. She knew the twins were leaving soon too, so it was difficult to leave the subject alone. Still, she kept her idea a secret from the twins, not wanting to get their hopes up if it didn't work out. Keeping secrets from them was usually difficult, but they both had been busy preparing their dramatic exit lately, so she hadn't had many opportunities to tell them anyway. She didn't feel bad not telling them, since they also refused to tell her what they were planning. She tried her best not to let it bother her, but those feelings of neglect didn't stay away forever.

The morning of the twins' final day, she grumpily stomped down the staircase.

"Morning sunshine," George said, laughing at her expression.

"Today's the big day," Fred said with a bold grin.

"Don't remind me," she muttered miserably, crossing her arms.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast," they said cheerfully, dragging her out of the portrait hole. She relaxed, forcing them to carry her dead weight.

"Quit being such a brat," George said, throwing her over his shoulder to take her down fireman style.

"Put me down! Fine, I'll walk!" she yelled

"It's too late now, you're up there," he said laughing.

"Stop being so cheerful! Today's not a good day!"

"Oh, sure it is!" He carefully set her down and added quietly, "We'll only be apart for a few months and then we can spend your summer holiday together. I'll make it up to you. I promise," he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

She nodded solemnly. They sat down to eat in the Great Hall, but she wasn't feeling very hungry. She pushed her food around more than she ate it, listening to everyone else talk.

After breakfast, Fred took her aside. He said quietly, "I know you're upset about us leaving, but is this really how you want to spend our last day? I would've thought you would want to enjoy every minute."

She felt a little ashamed. That had been her intention, but as soon as she got up this morning, she had been dreading the end of the day.

She sighed, "I'll try to be less gloomy. I just- I don't want you guys to leave me," she said, her hands trembling a bit.

"It'll only be for a few months," he said reassuringly.

"That's what George said too," she sighed.

"Well, get over there and spend the day with him," he ordered.

She gave him a weak salute and a small smile before heading back over to George. She took his hand and he grinned.

"Feeling a little better?"

"Not really," she admitted, tracing circles on his hand with her thumb. "But I shouldn't waste time." He pulled her in and kissed her softly.

"We'll have plenty of time," he said with a knowing smile. "Come on, let's find something to do," George said happily.

They wandered around a bit, but Umbridge's new rules made finding something to do a very difficult task. George didn't have to worry about breaking the rules, but unfortunately, she still did. Eventually, they wound up in front of the Room of Requirement.

"Care to let the school decide our fate?" George said mischievously. She nodded enthusiastically, eager to see what the castle would produce for them this time.

They walked by three times and eagerly opened the door. Inside was a muggle movie theater, complete with a popcorn maker, an empty ticket booth, and four rows of seats. George seemed confused so she quickly explained. His face lit up, reminding her strongly of Mr. Weasley and his infatuation with muggle culture. They quickly grabbed tickets off the counter, where they had already poked out of the dispenser and she showed George how to use the popcorn maker. He was ecstatic over the little machine. Finally, popcorn in hand, they sat down in the second row and watched the opening scene. She could see how excited George was.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this excited Georgie," she teased.

"This is amazing, I thought muggle movies were just like our pictures, but this is totally different," he said awestruck. She was about to reply but he shushed her, eager to hear the movie. He sat forward in his seat nearly the whole time, shoving handfuls of popcorn into his mouth without taking his eyes off the screen. Once it was over, he sat back in his seat, a dopey grin on his face.

"You look just like your dad right now," she laughed.

He smiled, "It's nice to see you smile again." She went red. "It's nice to see that too," he laughed. He checked his watch and his smile faded a bit. "It's almost time." He looked a little nervous. She took his hand once again.

"We'd better get going then," she said quickly. She stood and led him toward the door. She was just about to open it and leave when he grabbed the hand that was reaching towards the doorknob and pressed it to the door. He fiercely pressed his lips to hers, trying to cram two month's worth of kisses into this small amount of time. She passionately kissed him back, trying to give them both something to remember when they got lonely. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed one hand on her waist holding tightly with the other tangled in her hair. She didn't want to separate but she needed a bit of air, so they reluctantly parted. He pushed a bit of hair back from her face and gave her one more gentle peck before opening the door.

He darted off to find Fred and she joined the crowd coming back from dinner. The rush of students filed up the staircase until they heard shouting. Everyone hurried toward the sounds of chaos and very soon Mr. Filch shuffled past them, his breathing shallow and his eyes popping. Everyone came to a halt in the middle of the corridor and she shoved her way to the front, not really caring who she pushed out of the way. She felt a sharp intake of breath and murmurs swept through the crowd. Fred and George had outdone themselves.

The swamp that now filled the corridor was as realistic as it got. Even the smell was impressively horrible. The twins themselves stood triumphantly on the other side. She locked eyes with George and smiled, he certainly knew how to make an exit and she was rather proud. Soon after, she heard the rapid click of Umbridge approaching and she shoved her way through the crowd. The look of horror on her face was quickly replaced with an evil kind of glee.

"You think you can put a swamp in my castle?" she asked sweetly.

"Your castle?" Fred asked coolly raising an eyebrow.

George punched a fist into the air, "It's Dumbledore's castle! Dumbledore's Army!" Loud cheers issued from the crowd and someone wolf whistled.

"Silence! You boys will regret this very soon, you won't be getting away with these antics any longer."

"Oh, I think we will," George said with a sly grin.

"We won't be following your silly rules any longer you old hag," Fred challenged, Umbridge's smile fading.

In unison the two shouted, "Accio brooms!" There was a pause as everyone, Umbridge included, held their breath. Very soon, there was a shrill whistling as the two brooms flew through the air into the boys' outstretched hands. They quickly attached their trunks and lifted off the ground.

"Give her hell from us Peeves," they said together, Peeves saluting in response. They soared overhead, George pausing briefly to lean down and kiss her, discreetly pressing a small black box into her hands. After another moment, they were left with nothing but a fuming Umbridge, a stunned Filch, a rather smelly swamp, and that little black box.

Back in the common room, she turned the small box over and over in her hands. Half the girls in the common room were crowded around, waiting for her to open it with bated breath. Immediately after the twins' departure, she had shoved it into her robes, hoping she could keep it private, but to no avail. She could sense everyone's impatience and she struggled with her own hesitation. She was dying to know what was inside, but at the same time, she was terrified.

She took a deep breath and she swear the estrogen levels in the common room spiked. Slowly opening the lid of the box, she could feel her heart beat fast. She scolded herself, what was she so afraid of? Inside the box sat nestled a polished silver band with a heart shaped amethyst. After a quick intake of breath, she noticed a scrap of parchment folded into the lid. Her hands shook a bit as she unfolded it, ignoring the girls fawning over the ring.

The note read in the same forcibly neat script as when she received the flowers;

Rowan,

First things first, don't freak out. It's not an engagement ring. We're both too young for that and we need more time under our belts as a couple before any serious commitment. But if I'm totally honest, I am really serious about you, so I'll finally get to the whole point of this note. This is a promise ring and I hope that if you keep it; that means you're serious about me too. If not, you can give it back; no hard feelings and we can wait until you're ready. Or you can keep it and not wear it until you want. Really, do whatever you like with it. Be sure to write me, I'm gonna miss you a whole lot.

All my love,

George

The weight of fear in her chest dissipated and she sighed with relief. That wasn't to say she had decided if she was accepting the ring quite yet, but knowing that George had reasonable intentions was a weight off her shoulders. So much so that she wished he was still here so she could kiss him in gratitude. She examined the ring carefully; it was gorgeous. There wasn't a flaw to be found. She still wondered where he got these things from. He had refused to divulge the supplier of those flowers either. She smiled a little; he loved his little mysteries. She slipped the ring onto her finger and of course, it fit perfectly. He was always unconsciously, or so she thought, playing with her fingers and hands. He knew them like, well, the back of his own hand.

Looking at the ring on her finger and thinking about George made to each other made her not want to take it off. So, she didn't. She handed the note to Ginny, who was sitting next to her and she and Hermione leaned in and scanned it. She stood and started pacing around the common room, too antsy to stay sitting. Hermione looked stunned and Ginny looked up with a huge grin on her face.

"You're going to keep it aren't you?" she asked knowingly.

She hesitated, glancing down again. Her resolve stiffened and she smiled a little, "Yeah I think so."

She squealed and Hermione gave a small smile. Rowan hated that she just watched everyone else and never took an interest in anyone other than Ron. She needed to have a little fun, maybe even shock Ron into reality. She gestured for Ginny to come over and she skipped merrily to her side.

"What do you know about Terry Boot?" she asked mischievously.

"Where are you taking me?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"You'll see!" Ginny responded, giggling. They led the blindfolded Hermione down the corridor, working their way to the empty classroom that she and Ginny had spent the whole day setting up.

Setting her up in the doorway, they pulled off her blindfold and rather than grinning, she looked terrified.

"Oh no."

"What's wrong Hermione?" Ginny asked nervously.

"You set me up on a date."

"Yes, that was the plan. Why is that bad?" Rowan asked, confused.

"I haven't been on a real date before you guys, I can't do this."

"But you were seeing Viktor last year, you guys never went on a date?"

"We went to the Yule Ball and he sort of just watched me study in the library, but we never did anything like this," she said nervously.

"Don't worry Hermione, Terry is great. He's smart and witty, fairly good looking. He can keep a conversation going, it'll be fine," Rowan reassured her.

"Terry Boot?" she asked fearfully.

"Hermione, calm down, it'll be okay. Here, let us get you ready, Terry will be here in a half hour," Ginny ordered, going into drill sergeant mode. They quickly gave her nicer clothes to change into and got to work taming her hair.

"Okay, now go wait next door until you hear Terry arrive. Wait three minutes after he gets here, then you come back in. We'll go get the food from the kitchens," she instructed. Hermione nodded tensely and dashed into the classroom next door. She and Ginny bolted to the kitchens and profusely thanked the house elves for their help. They made their way back upstairs more slowly, not wanting to spill the food and also wanting to give Hermione and Terry time to break the ice a bit.

Arriving back at the classroom, they served the food as if they were waiters at a restaurant and quickly bowed out after seeing Hermione and Terry engaged in an animated conversation. She and Ginny shared a triumphant look as they left the two of them alone. Back in the common room, she sat down to try and write her first letter to George, which was surprisingly difficult. She crumpled up page after page of awkward script. Why was it that she could breeze through the most complex of essays, but she couldn't write what she was feeling? Finally, she managed something that wasn't completely awful.

George,

It's only the day after you left and I miss you already. I can tell these next few months are going to suck, but I guess that will only make seeing you in June even better. It was nice to spend some time with Ginny today, even if it was just to set Hermione up on a date with Terry Boot. Your brother is about as oblivious as you are, so maybe this will help him see a little more clearly.

Speaking of those things and getting to the real reason I'm writing to you so soon, I'm currently wearing your ring, which I don't plan on taking off anytime soon. It's beautiful and I want you to know that I'm serious about you too. Which brings me to my next point; you had better stay busy in that shop and away from any of the bimbos in Diagon Alley. Maybe you should just not leave the shop, ever. I think that's a good plan. In all seriousness, I trust you completely, but I'll still kick some girl's arse if I have too, so I'm just putting that on the table. Write back soon.

Missing you already,

Rowan

She sent the letter to the flat in Diagon Alley with her silvery gray barred owl, Eleanor. Watching her soar towards George, she was a little jealous, wishing she could just send herself the Diagon Alley too. She idly wondered how Hermione's date was going. She sought out Ginny and the pair of them went back to the classroom to clean up and hurry the pair of them along.

They sent Terry back to his common room, but not before he and Hermione made plans to go to Hogsmeade together on the next trip. She and Ginny cleaned up, Hermione chattering away about how well things went. She trailed behind them on the way to the kitchens and was so caught up talking about Terry that she didn't even complain about the house elves.


	22. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hermione and Terry never did end up getting to go to Hogsmeade together. The fifth years were so busy studying for their O.W.L.s that she wasn't even sure they would spend any more time together that year. The fact that the O.W.L.s hadn't even been finished when all hell broke loose didn't help either.

Her hopes of taking her N.E.W.T. exams this year were dashed after Umbridge's attack on Hagrid, which led to Professor McGonagall being stunned by four Ministry members at once. Not only was her hope for leaving early demolished, but hers and everyone else's hope that the state of the school would improve was at an all-time low. With Professor McGonagall gone, there was no one left at Hogwarts who was willing to overtly stand up to Umbridge.

The next morning, the fifth years had to put aside their worries and keep their noses in their notes for their final examination that afternoon. The state of the castle was grim at best and very tense. She and Ginny bid Harry, Ron, and Hermione good luck at the History of Magic exam that afternoon before meeting Luna in the Great Hall for lunch and then tried to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione to ask them how the exam had gone. After wandering a bit, they heard Harry's angry shouts from down the corridor.

"What's going on you guys?" she asked, worried. It wasn't often that Harry lost his temper.

Hermione began, "Harry's had another one of those dreams-"

"It wasn't a dream Hermione! How many times to do I have to say it? Voldemort has Sirius! He's torturing him right now and if we don't do something-"

"Harry, Dumbledore wanted you to block those visions out! He wouldn't have wanted you to see this!" Hermione pleaded.

"I agree with Hermione, I know it's scary but we can't just go charging off to save Sirius," she tried to reason.

"You can't expect me to just pretend that I haven't seen it!" he yelled, stepping toward her.

"We don't mate, but we don't know that what you saw was for real. You-Know-Who might have wanted you to see that," Ron said, looking a bit scared.

"So what if he wanted me to see it? Sirius needs help, so either you guys can back me up or I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now!" Harry gave a frustrated roar, causing Hermione to flinch.

"Harry, at least let us check to see if Sirius is still at Grimmauld Place. If he's not, we'll leave right away to go to the Ministry. I promise," Hermione said, near tears. Harry agreed angrily to that arrangement and we quickly made a plan to get Umbridge out of her office. Rowan stood guard with Ginny and Luna, spreading the fake rumor of the Garroting Gas in the corridor. It had been less than five minutes when they were ambushed by members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Warrington made a grab at her, a Slytherin girl from her year pinned Ginny's arms behind her back, and Montague threw an arm over Luna's entire torso, completely pinning her arms.

She tried to shoot a spell at Warrington and Ginny was fiercely trying to kick the girl who held her, but to no avail. Warrington shoved her into the wall and knocked her wand out of her hand but was quickly blindsided by Neville, who crashed into him with a shout. He was shouting something, but she couldn't understand any of it over Warrington's shouts, Ginny's determined grunts and the roaring of adrenaline in her own ears. Neville and Warrington scuffled and she tried to grab her wand, but was intercepted by Goyle, who was surprisingly quick to block her. He took her wand and pinned her arms as she desperately tried to kick him in the groin. Warrington stood victorious with his arm around Neville's neck, his eye already starting to swell and Neville's nose was bloody. Neville's face was turning a pale shade of blue.

"You're strangling him!" she screamed at him. "You'll kill him!"

Warrington shot her a sly grin, but passed Neville carefully to Crabbe who had just arrived. Warrington then took off up the corridor, leaving them to struggle until he returned with Ron in another stranglehold. The Inquisitorial members gagged them one by one and dragged them all into Umbridge's office, where Umbridge herself held Harry by the hair and Hermione was pinned to the wall by Millicent Bulstrode. Draco leaned against the wall, tossing a wand in the air and catching it, a pleased smile on his face as he watched Umbridge shove Harry.

Warrington gave Umbridge a brief explanation, "We got all of 'em. He," he pointed at Neville, "Tried to stop me from grabbing her," he said gesturing to Rowan as she struggled against Goyle's humongous arms. She noticed Ginny trying furiously to kick the shins of the girl that held her. She couldn't hear any of Umbridge's self-congratulation and attempts to be threatening until she sent Draco to fetch her father.

They were left in silence as Harry tried to keep a poker face and everyone but Luna struggled against their captors. Ron's lip dripped blood onto the carpet in an eerie rhythm. Her heart thumped as she heard footsteps approach the office.

Draco held the door open for her dad and his dark eyes swept the room, quickly taking in the situation. He met her gaze and she desperately thought about the plan she had and how he had to leave her with the rest. There was no way she would leave them.

Umbridge demanded Veritaserum to question Harry about who he had been contacting, but my dad was frustratingly unhelpful. She suppressed a grin; she knew full well he had Veritaserum in his private stores. After a few infuriating minutes, Umbridge dismissed him angrily, declaring his new probationary status.

Harry couldn't keep his tongue as her dad grabbed the doorknob and began shouting about how "He" had Padfoot in the place where "it's" hidden. She had to give him credit for phrasing it in a way that befuddled Umbridge. Her dad kept his face inscrutable, but she knew he would understand. However, she knew Harry's faith in her father was on the negative end of the scale, so he wouldn't trust that her dad would get help.

Umbridge began to mutter to herself, and the only word she was able to make out was "Cruciatus". Ginny must have heard it too, because she gave a muffled shriek. Draco's eyes widened and he looked eager.

Hermione, one of the only ones without a gag, shrieked in panic, "You can't, it's illegal!" However, Umbridge already had her mind set. She rolled up her sleeves and brandished her wand, a scary glint in her eyes.

"The Minister doesn't need to know every little detail you stupid girl. He never found out that I sent those dementors after Potter over the summer, but was very eager to expel the boy regardless." Harry voiced his outrage, but Umbridge only brushed off his anger.

Beginning the curse, she almost yelled when Hermione interrupted her, "Harry, let's just tell her!"

Harry was appalled, "No Hermione!"

Hermione hung her head and began to cry, "I'm sorry Harry but there's no other way." Everyone looked at Hermione as though she was bonkers, but Rowan noticed that despite her sobs, there wasn't a tear to be seen. She worked the gag out of her mouth; the Slytherins hadn't done a very good job.

"Hermione's right you guys," she said, trying to sound as defeated as possible. She had already made a plan, but Hermione's was much better, so she adjusted. "We should just tell her where the weapon is, she'll force us to tell eventually." Ginny's eyes widened as she understood.

"Weapon? What weapon?" Umbridge asked eagerly, her eyes popping. "And who was Potter communicating with?"

"He was trying to contact Professor Dumbledore," Hermione falsely admitted. "We were trying to tell him that the weapon was ready."

"What is this weapon?" Umbridge demanded, her impatience getting the better of her. "A weapon with which to attack the Ministry?" she asked eagerly.

"Y-y-yes," Hermione said tearfully. "We don't really understand it, but we just did what Professor Dumbledore told us," she sniffled.

"Show me where it is," Umbridge demanded eagerly.

"They can't know where it is," Rowan argued, bobbing her head towards the Slytherins.

"You aren't exactly in a position to be giving orders my dear," she said in her sickly-sweet voice.

"Fine!" Hermione burst out. "Let them see! I hope they use it against you, that'd show you!" She wanted to sigh with relief; Hermione was a genius. Malfoy's face had contorted, his excitement unable to be concealed. Umbridge looked around shiftily, Hermione's words doing exactly as she had intended.

"Let's go then," Umbridge ordered. "You, me, and Potter as well." Malfoy began to protest, but Umbridge silenced him quickly, not to have her gratification delayed. Malfoy sulked as Hermione and Harry led Umbridge out of the office.


	23. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As soon and Umbridge was out of earshot, Rowan gave Ginny a pointed look. She and Ron shared the same expression and Neville looked at her waiting for a signal. Luna hummed distractedly to herself, seeming to be blissfully unaware of the situation.

After a moment of carefully thinking she shouted, "Now!"

She was wandless, but now seemed as good a time as any to reveal her secret. Her father had always told her to never tell anyone and up until now she had kept that promise. She muttered a spell under her breath and she felt Goyle grip on her loosen as he crashed to the floor. Ginny had managed to get her wand out of her pocket under the cover of all of her struggling. Ron must have had his up his sleeve when he was ambushed, which was an admittedly smart move. Luna was the biggest surprise, snapping quickly into action. She wasn't quite sure where Luna even pulled her wand from, but she nailed the girl holding Ginny in the face with a beautifully aimed stunning spell. Ginny took out Malfoy with an impressive Bat-Bogey Hex and Rowan quickly got her wand from Goyle's robes and disarmed Crabbe, allowing Neville to spin and punch him square in the jaw. Neville quickly whipped his wand out and hit Montague with an Impediment Jinx while Millicent Bulstrode was quickly incapacitated by Ginny's next stunner.

They enjoyed a moment of silence, impressed with their handiwork. She was especially impressed with Neville. His reaction skills were greatly improved. They didn't have long to enjoy the victory though, so they took off to the corridors, trying to catch up to Harry, Hermione, and Umbridge. Their footsteps echoed through the corridors and she wondered if Harry had managed to speak to Sirius. Bursting out of the castle, they saw three small figures at the edge of the forest, one much shorter and rounder than the other two. They trotted briskly down the hill, past Hagrid's depressingly empty cabin. Once in the forest, it was easy to follow the path that the trio had taken. There were broken branches and crushed undergrowth in a glaring trail into the forest. They slowed a bit, being more careful. They didn't need to be running into any creatures before they could find the others.

After what seemed like forever, they heard a shriek. They hurried along and soon after, there was a loud roar from much closer by. Ron yelped and looked around warily, but they charged forward. Finally, they came to a small clearing, finding Harry and Hermione, but no Umbridge. More prominently, there was a giant lumbering through the trees, followed by a hoard of centaurs.

"What is that?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Hagrid's brother," Ron said his tone nonchalant, but his hands shaking.

"W-what do we do now?" Neville asked, his stutter returning for the first time in a long while.

"We go to the Department of Mysteries," Harry ordered firmly.

"How do we do that?" Ron asked incredulously.

"We fly," Luna said simply. Everyone else looked confused, but Rowan, Harry, and Luna saw movement as the thestrals trotted into the clearing.

"That's brilliant," she gaped.

"You can see them?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yes," she said simply. She had always been able to see the thestrals, ever since her first visit to Hogwarts. Her father had tried to keep her safe from the Dark Lord's cruelty, but he only had so much influence. Harry and Luna quickly explained about the thestrals to the others. After a few minutes of mass confusion, helping those who could not see onto their invisible rides, they soared upwards at a surprising speed. Her stomach dropped when she thought of her father. He would be furious to discover her leaving, but hopefully she would be seeing him soon.

They soared through the air, the beating the wings jarring with every flap. It was rather unpleasant, but she supposed that now wasn't the time to fuss about means of transportation. The trip seemed endless, even more so since Harry was the only one who knew what the entrance to the Ministry looked like. Finally, as if on cue, the thestrals began to descend, landing next to some dumpsters and a battered-looking phone booth.

They were all skeptical, but they piled into the booth, allowing Harry to dial the numbers. With a dangerous sounding creak and a jolt, they began to sink under the ground. With a series of clinks, visitor's badges slid out the coin return slot, each one with their names and the phrase, "Rescue Mission" printed on them.

When the lift finally stopped, they all tumbled out into the dark atrium. The bright marble and large statue in the large dome-shaped room reflected the little bit of light, casting eerie shadows. There were unmanned security desks and cold fireplaces lining the walls. The lack of people was creepy and foreboding. Harry led them to another lift, which they reluctantly piled into once again. The lift clanged loudly all the way down nine floors until they spilled out once again. The hallway where they now stood was pitch black, lit only by flickering torches. The hallway ended in a simply black door, which Harry strode towards, a hungry look in his eyes.


	24. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Inside, the room was a perfect circle with doors all around the perimeter. The torches in this room burned a bright blue, giving the pitch-black floor a watery appearance. Neville closed the door behind them and suddenly, the walls began to rotation rapidly. The blue flames blurred together into one line that burned itself into her vision. The wall began to slow and she rubbed her eyes hard, trying to clear them of the blue light.

They were faced with the uncomfortable fact that we no longer knew which door led back out. Harry dismissed Neville's concerns about getting out and picked a door at random. The room they entered was much better lit, and was only occupied by a few desks and a large tank at the end of the room. The tank was full of a translucent green liquid and some bleached white blobs. There was a collective intake of breath and Hermione stepped forward hesitantly.

"You guys, those are brains," she said tentatively. They stood awestruck for a few moments, watching the pearly white lumps drift in and out of sight inside the tank.

"We need to look somewhere else," Harry said, shaking his head to clear it.

"There are more doors in this room mate," Ron said pointing to the walls.

"I went into one of the doors from the main room in my dream, so we should go back," Harry directed, seeming quite overwhelmed.

They trekked back out, looking over their shoulders nervously at the ghost-like brains. Before the door shut, Hermione marked it with a large fiery "X".

"Good idea," Rowan said approvingly as the door clicked shut and the walls began to spin once again. She shut her eyes to prevent the blue line from burning itself into her retinas again, but she could still see the light through her eyelids. Harry pushed through another door and they found themselves in a large room that resembled a Roman coliseum. They were on the top step of many stone seats that resembled a staircase, leading to a sunken pit in the center of the room. In the middle of that sunken pit was a raised platform with a stone archway on top of it, holding up a faint-looking black curtain, which floated and twisted in a non-existent breeze. The curtain seemed to murmur, as if telling a very important secret.

"Who's down there?" Harry shouted down the stairs, his voice echoing throughout the room.

"Harry be careful!" Hermione whispered urgently. Harry quickly climbed down to the archway, his feet slapping loudly on the stone. Harry examined the veil, peeking behind it warily.

"Sirius?" he called out.

"Harry, something isn't right here, let's go," Hermione shakily pleaded. Harry had a dreamy look on his face and made no move to return to the group.

"Harry, can we go please? Sirius isn't here," Hermione said fearfully. Harry agreed passively, but remained transfixed in front of the archway.

"What are you saying?" Harry said even more loudly.

"No one's saying anything Harry! Can we please go?" Hermione said tearfully. They climbed carefully down to where Harry was.

"Someone's whispering!" Harry exclaimed. "Ron is that you?"

"I'm over here Harry," Ron said from the other side of the dais.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry asked, frustrated.

"I can hear them too," Luna said, stepping forward. Her already enormous eyes widened, "There are people in there!" Noticing the parallel, Rowan stepped forward, afraid that she was right. She heard a slight murmur coming from the veil and her heart sank.

"I think it's like the thestrals," she said nervously. "If you've seen someone die, you can hear the people in the there." Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville shared a concerned look.

"There's no 'in there'. It's just a ratty old veil," Hermione argued. She tried to pull Harry away, as he was standing close enough to the veil to make them all nervous. When he resisted, she said shrilly, "Harry, didn't we come here to save Sirius?"

"Sirius," he repeated dully. Then as if it finally clicked, he shook his head and took several large steps back. "Let's go," he said, looking back at the archway nervously. They all clamored back up the staircase and back into the circular room once again. Hermione inscribed the door with another "X" and it clicked shut. After the spinning ceased again, Harry picked another door. He threw his shoulder against it after it didn't open.

"It's stuck shut," he said, giving it another shove.

"Maybe it's locked," Ginny suggested.

"I guess we just pick another," she shrugged

"No, this must be the one if it's locked!" Ron said excitedly.

"Move out of the way," Hermione snapped. "Alohomora!" The door remained stuck shut.

"Sirius' knife," Harry said quickly, rifling around in his robes. He ran the knife through the crack in the door from top to bottom and threw his shoulder against it. It remained closed. The blade on his knife had melted clean off.

"That can't be the one, the one in your dream wasn't locked," Rowan tried to reason. There was no reason to linger on it if it was locked.

"We'll leave that one," Hermione said before marking it. Harry and Ron seemed reluctant to leave it unopened, but without any more ideas, they didn't press it.

As soon as they entered the next room Harry exclaimed, "This is the one!" There were gleaming clocks lining the walls and small spindly tables full of them. All kinds of clocks, from grandfather to pocket watch lined every available surface. The whole room ticked in all kinds of different rhythms and at the end of the room was a tall bell jar that was the source of all the glittering. The jar was as tall as any of them and appeared to be full of blustery, shimmering wind.

Ginny exclaimed and pointed to the center of the jar, where a very bright egg drifted through the wind. It rose to the top of the jar and a hummingbird burst from the egg, but as it sank it became more ragged and damp until reaching the bottom of the jar when it was once again closed in its egg.

Harry urged them along, but Ginny obviously wanted to stop and watch. She snipped at him, but simply crossed her arms and followed. Harry led them to the next door and he seemed to be more confident now that they were on the right path. The door swung open and the room was enormous, full of shelves upon shelves of small glass balls. The lights in this room were blue, just like in the first room.

"Row ninety-seven," Harry muttered under his breath as he darted past rows fifty-three and fifty-four. They all took their wands out and crept forward. The shelves seemed to stretch into eternity, going back farther than she could see. Finally, they reached row ninety-seven, and Harry seemed to freeze.

"He's down at the end, you can't see from here," he tried to convince himself. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that things were about to go horribly wrong.

Hermione was the only one who had the guts to say it, "Harry, I- I don't think Sirius is here." No one else said anything and she though Neville was actually holding his breath.

Ron saved them when he said quietly, "Harry?"

Harry snapped at him, "What?"

"Did you see this?"

Harry's tone changed to optimistic, "What?" He seemed to shrink when he realized Ron was talking about one of the spheres.

"It- it has your name on it," Ron said, confused. Harry seemed stunned. He reached for the orb after quickly scanning the label. She craned her neck to read it, but she could feel in her gut that it wasn't good.

"Harry, don't do it!" Neville said quickly, his voice shaking.

"It has my name on it," Harry said, shrugging. He reached out and grabbed it before anyone else could protest.


	25. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Now you're going to hand that over to me Potter," drawled a voice from the aisle. All around them, black-cloaked figures with all-too-familiar masks appeared out of the darkness, blocking their path. In front of them stood Lucius Malfoy, his palm outstretched.

Harry's voice shook slightly, "Where's Sirius?" The Death Eaters snickered lightly.

"The Dark Lord always knows," said a voice she recognized as Bellatrix.

Lucius smirked lightly, "Now give me the prophecy."

"I want to know where Sirius is," Harry said more forcefully. Bellatrix mimicked him in a baby voice, causing the masked figures to laugh again. Harry muttered under his breath for them to not take action yet.

Bellatrix let out a scream of a laugh, removing her mask, "He's actually giving them instructions! As if he and those other children are going to fight us!" She glared at Rowan on the word "children".

"Do not doubt the actions Potter will take in order to play the hero. He's here as the Dark Lord predicted, is he not?" Lucius said lightly.

"I know you have Sirius!" The panic was taking over Harry's voice. "You have him!"

"It's time for you to learn how to tell what's real little Potter. Now hand over that prophecy or we'll begin using wands on your friends," Bellatrix threatened, grinning wildly.

Harry called her bluff, "Go ahead then, but hurt any of us and I smash this." He raised the prophecy slightly. The Death Eaters made no moves.

"Come now, just hand it over and no one needs to get hurt," he looked pointedly at Rowan.

She laughed this time, "So we give you this and you'll just let us scamper on home? Is that right?"

Bellatrix hissed and began, "Accio-"

"Protego!" Harry shouted. Bellatrix laughed again; her amusement mixed with anger.

"Very well Potter-" she began once again, her voice harsher this time.

"I said no! Not yet!" Lucius roared. "If it breaks-"

Bellatrix stepped away, "Very well, take the little one. We'll convince him." The kids closed ranks around Ginny, wands out.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to touch any of us," Harry defended.

"I don't think the Dark Lord will be too pleased if you return without it, will he?" Rowan said, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't you worry little girl, the Dark Lord won't be too pleased with you either," Bellatrix challenged. Rowan sent Lucius a pointed look.

"What kind of prophecy is this anyway?" Harry asked, obviously trying to keep them talking.

A sly grin spread across Bellatrix's face once again, "What kind? Surely you aren't serious?"

"I'm one hundred percent serious, so why does Voldemort want it?" Harry said slowly. The Death Eaters let out a collective hiss.

"How dare you speak his name, you filthy half-blood!" Bellatrix shrieked.

"You do know he's a half-blood too right?" Harry challenged. "His dad was pure muggle, or has he been telling you lot that he's pureblood?"

Bellatrix yelled, "Stupefy!"

"No!" Lucius deflected the red beam and it hit the shelf to their left. Several of the glass balls shattered and pearly white figures emerged and began speaking. Bellatrix and Lucius were yelling furiously at each other and between that and the ghostly speakers; she couldn't understand a word of what anyone said. Then the ghostly figures dissipated and she and Harry shared a look. She nodded at him. She muttered to Ron on her other side and he in turn conveyed the plan to Ginny. Rowan felt her shift and assumed she was elbowing Hermione and Neville to alert them.

"You still haven't told me why this is so important," Harry spoke over the bickering Death Eaters.

Bellatrix and Lucius quieted down finally and Lucius spoke again, "Dumbledore never trusted you with the reason you wear that scar so proudly?"

"What about my scar?" Harry said, his attention drawn in. She heard Hermione gasp behind her somewhere.

The Death Eaters tittered nervously and Lucius let out a delighted laugh, "Is it really true?"

She heard Ron whisper the plan to the other two, while Lucius was distracted.

"The Dark Lord had wondered why you hadn't come running as soon as he showed you where it was hidden. He thought your curiosity would make you want to hear the exact words. This is a better explanation than I could've come up with myself," Lucius said, delightedly.

"Why did he want me to come get it?"

Lucius laughed, "The only people who can remove these prophecies are the ones about whom they are made. We discovered this very quickly after the Dark Lord sent other to retrieve it for him."

"Why does he want a prophecy about me?" Harry asked, the plan forgotten for the moment.

"About both of you," Lucius corrected. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as an infant?" Harry seemed stunned.

"He could have easily come and gotten it himself," Harry fumbled out.

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix cackled. "Why would the Dark Lord walk into the Ministry of Magic when they are so nicely ignoring his return, when he could just have your foolish self come retrieve it for-"

"Now!" Harry bellowed, catching them all off guard.

They all yelled, "Reducto!" Six jets of light crashed into the shelves surrounding us sending up a screen of pearly smoke.

"Run!" Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and Hermione's robes and ran; the other four of them close behind. The whole towering structure of shelves teetered and broken glass and splintered wood fell all around them. They held their arms over their heads to try and keep the shards off their faces. Someone lunged through the smoke and caught Harry's elbow sharply to the face. Hands grabbed at their shoulders a few times, but none could get a solid grip. They finally emerged from the smoke and she noticed Neville was being to falter.

"Come on Neville, we have to keep going!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. She could see the bell jar through the open doorway. Harry slammed the door shut and Hermione sealed it behind us before realizing that Ginny, Ron, and Luna were not with them.

"They must have taken another path!" Hermione agonized.

"Listen!" Neville whispered urgently. We put our ears to the door and heard Lucius yelling at the others to leave Nott behind and split up to find them. They darted through the room and heard a heavy thump on the door Hermione had just sealed.

A voice from the other side shouted, "Alohomora!" and the door flew open. The four of them dove under tables, watching hems of robes and shoes cross the room.

One of the Death Eaters bent down to check under a desk and Harry's wand poked out, "Stupefy!" The Death Eater fell backwards stiffly, toppling one of the grandfather clocks. She and Hermione crawled out and the second Death Eater who had dodged Harry's spell aimed at Rowan.

"Avada-"

"Fool!" Lucius shoved him and stopped the spell. He didn't elaborate, but her friends gave her a strange look. Hermione stunned Lucius and drew the other man's attention to her.

He aimed at Hermione, but Neville quickly disarmed him. Unfortunately, Harry's wand also flew out of his hand and landed with the other by the first doorway. The three charged after it, but the Death Eater had an advantage and Neville was far behind, horrified at what he had done. Neville attempted to stun the Death Eater and repair the damage he'd done, but missed and shattered a large cabinet full of hourglasses. The glass tumbled to the floor, but just as quickly, the cabinet repaired itself. It continued to break and repair itself in a perpetual cycle of the sound of breaking glass.

The Death Eater reached his wand and tried to adjust his mask to see. Harry ducked behind a table and Hermione hit the Death Eater square in the chest with a stunning spell. He fell backwards into the bell jar Ginny had been so fascinated with. But instead of the sound of more shattered glass, there was a popping sound.

"Accio wand!" Hermione shouted, quickly tossing it to Harry.

"Thanks, let's go find-" Harry began.

Neville interrupted, "Look out!" They stood transfixed, watching the phenomenon that was happening to the man's head in the bell jar. His mask had fallen off and his head shrunk quickly, his hair and beard retracting into his skull, until a baby's head rested on his shoulders. He struggled to get up, but his head quickly began to grow once again, his hair lengthening and his beard re-growing. His head began to shrink again, but we soon heard a shout from another room.

"Ron! Ginny! Luna!" Harry shouted.

With another loud popping noise, the man removed his head from the bell jar, but his head was in the baby stage. He shook his disproportionately large fists and narrowly missed Harry. They left him behind, unsure of what to do. Before they could reach the other door, two more Death Eaters burst in. They took an immediate left and slammed the door shut. But before they could seal it, the two men barreled inside.

They shouted in unison, "Impedimenta!" All four of them were thrown backwards. Neville flew out of sight behind a large desk, Hermione crashed into a giant bookcase and was quickly covered in heavy books and Harry hit the wall. Rowan fell promptly on the floor, her head making a nasty cracking sound.

The Death Eaters tried to call for the others and tell them our location, but Hermione had emerged from the pile of books and shouted, "Silencio!"

Harry also recovered and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" The second man's arms and legs snapped to his sides and he fell face down at Harry's feet, unable to move. They were about to congratulate each other, but the silenced Death Eater ripped off his mask, revealing himself to be Antonin Dolohov, and made a large slashing motion in Hermione's direction and a large purple flame erupted from his wand. It passed through Hermione's chest and she gasped in surprise before falling motionless to the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, falling to his knees beside her. Neville attempted to crawl out and over to Harry, but the Death Eater kicked at his face, snapping his wand in two before connecting with Neville's nose with a horrible crunch.

Before she had any time to think, she blasted him in the chest with the Confringo Curse. He burst into flames, his mouth wide open, but unable to scream. She quickly realized what she had done and put the flames out, gaping in horror. His hair and facial hair were singed so badly there wasn't much left and his skin was a dark shade of scorched pink. He collapsed onto the floor and did not move, but his chest rose slowly and she let out a sigh of relief. Harry and Neville gave her surprised looks, but she quickly crawled over to check on Hermione. She felt her wrist for a pulse and after a few agonizing moments, felt a faint beat.

"She's alive," she sighed with relief. Harry still looked concerned, but slightly relieved. They listened hard for the sounds of more fighting, but could only hear the chaos of the baby-head man in the next room.

"Neville, I think we're close to the way out. Take Hermione, get help for her, raise the alarm," Harry said pensively.

"I'm going to helb you find ebreyone," Neville got out as firmly as possible through the broken nose.

"What about Hermione?" Harry argued.

"We'll take her with us," she mediated. "No one should be on their own." The guys each lifted one of Hermione's arms and picked her up.

"Here Neville, you need a wand," she said, handing him Hermione's from the ground.

"My Gram is gonna kill be," he agonized, his nose dripping blood. "Dat was my Dad's wand."


	26. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

They went back in the other room, skirting along the wall to keep the baby-head from noticing them. They re-entered the round, black room, only to find that Hermione's red "X"s had faded from the doors. Before they could deliberate, one of the doors crashed open and the others tumbled out. Harry called out to them, but it was obvious something was wrong. Ron staggered through the doorway, swaying from side to side, a dopey grin on his face. He was ghostly pale, giggling stupidly until his knees went out.

He grabbed the front of Harry's robes as he went down, "You look funny Harry!" Ginny said nothing and slid down the wall, clutching her ankle, her face almost as pale as Ron's. Luna alone seemed unhurt and she tried to tend to Ginny.

"There was a loud crack, I think her ankle is broken," she said softly. "They chased us into some kind of planetarium, some of the time we were just floating around, it was very odd."

"Harry! Harry guess what! We saw Uranus up close! Geddit?" Ron giggled weakly.

"What happened to Ron?" Rowan asked, worried.

"I don't know what they hit him with, but he's gone funny. I could barely get him to come with us," Luna explained.

"We've got to get out," Harry said. "Luna, can you help Ginny?" Luna nodded, tucked her wand behind her ear, and put an arm around Ginny.

"I can do it myself," Ginny argued indignantly. But in another moment, she collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support. Harry grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him up. They made slow progress towards one of the doors, hoping that the one in twelve odds worked out in our favor. But before they could trytheir luck, another door burst open revealing three Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix.

She let out a shriek and the room quickly filled with red jets of light. Harry opened the door and shoved Ron blindly through before darting back to help her and Neville with Hermione. They hobbled in just in time to charm the door shut in Bellatrix's face.

They were back in the brain room and there were more doors all along the walls. There were footsteps from all directions as more Death Eaters approached. She, Harry, Neville, and Luna darted around the room trying to seal the doors. Every few seconds there would be a loud thump as a body connected with one of the sealed doors. They were almost finished when Luna let out a loud yell before flying across the room. She hit a heavy desk and slid onto the floor, unmoving.

"Get Potter!" Bellatrix shrieked. Harry ran in the opposite direction, but the still drunken Ron staggered over to Harry and grabbed his robes, slurring nonsense.

Ron pointed his wand at the large tank of brains and before we could stop him, cried, "Accio brain!"

Everyone paused to watch, even the Death Eaters, as the brain burst from the tank and hung in the air. It suddenly flew towards Ron, spinning. Ribbon like tentacles extended and stretched toward him, while Ron only pointed and giggled in amusement. He caught the brain as it reached him and as soon as they connected the tentacles wrapped themselves around arms like snakes.

He began to panic, shouting for it to stop, but the ribbons only continued, wrapping themselves around his chest next. Harry tried to sever the tentacles, but they didn't even respond.

"Harry, he's going to suffocate!" Ginny screamed, panicking, but unable to move due to her ankle. A jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eaters and hit her in the face and she slipped down to the floor, unconscious.

Neville began trying to stun them, but his broken nose made the incantations ineffective, Hermione's wand unresponsive. Harry held the prophecy above his head and ran, trying to draw the Death Eaters away from the others. The Death Eaters were no longer concerned with them and darted by, following Harry into the next room. She wanted to follow, but she had to try to get the brain off of Ron. Neville went ahead to try to help Harry while she ran over to Ron and tried to pry the tentacles from around Ron's throat. She was able to slowly unwrap him, feeding the tentacles back into the tank. Once Ron was safe, she darted into the dais room, where Lucius was taunting Harry as Death Eaters circled the room like vultures.

She heard Neville shout and saw him scrambling impulsively down the benches. Harry tried to tell him to go back, but Neville wasn't listening. He tried to stun each Death Eater as they approached him, but his wand wasn't working. She managed to stun one of them before another stunned her. She was forced to watch as they grabbed Neville and Bellatrix taunted him, making snide remarks about his parents as he struggled so much the Death Eaters had a hard time holding him.

Bellatrix raised her wand and her stomach dropped, "Let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents. Unless Potter wants to hand over the prophecy that it," she grinned evilly. Neville began shouting at Harry not to give them the prophecy and Bellatrix cast the spell, "Crucio!" Neville screamed shrilly, drawing in on himself, so the Death Eater holding him was holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped Neville and he lay on the ground screaming and shaking in agony. Bellatrix flicked her wand again, so Neville's screams subsided and he sobbed at her feet. She laughed loudly.

"Now Potter, give us the prophecy or watch your friend die a slow and painful death." She watched in horror as Harry had no other choice but to hold out the prophecy. Just as Lucius was about to take it, the doors immediately behind her burst open and Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley charged in. The Order members were sending spells in every direction and the room quickly filled with bright light. Harry dove off the dais and crawled over to Neville. Bellatrix made to cast another spell at Neville and she felt herself panic; rational thought gone. Suddenly she was able to move again, the stun spell dissipating. Neville shrieked and she hurled herself down the stone steps toward Bellatrix, screaming.

She jumped into the fight, blasting every Death Eater she passed; Tonks had Bellatrix occupied, so she made her way over to Harry and Neville. A Death Eater charged, putting Harry in a stranglehold, trying to wrestle the prophecy from his grasp. She blasted him with a Banishing Charm, sending him flying across the room. Unfortunately, Neville had charged at him and had latched on as she blasted him away. Hermione's wand went through the eyehole of the mask, which fell off as the man shrieked in pain. The mask on the floor, she recognized MacNair, who she had seen not only at the manor, but when he was supposed to be Buckbeak's executioner. She darted away, trying to get to Moody, who was on the ground, his head bloody. She managed to stop the bleeding and was fairly certain he would be okay, but she cast a shield charm around him to be safe and darted back into the fray. She saw Sirius tackle Dolohov to the ground as he advanced on Harry and Neville. Neville's legs were going mad, making him unable to walk properly and endangering anyone in their range. Harry jinxed Dolohov before he could use the spell he'd used on Hermione again.

Sirius commended Harry and began to tell them to try to get out safely. However, their attention was drawn to Tonks' limp form tumbling down the benches and a triumphant Bellatrix advancing.

"You three, take the prophecy and run! Go now!" Sirius ordered.

She and Harry each put an arm around Neville and tried to ignore the jets of green light flying between Sirius and Bellatrix. They were making decent progress until a man lunged and crashed into them. She saw the white blonde hair and her stomach dropped. She didn't want to hurt Lucius, but she wouldn't let him hurt her friends. She saw stars as her head once again made contact with hard stone and black spots clouded her vision.

She heard Harry shout, "Neville, catch it!"

Her vision cleared a bit and she could see Neville clutching the ball to his chest.

Lucius changed aim to Neville and she quickly shouted, "Impedimenta!" Lucius soared over a few rows of benches and landed next to the dais where Sirius and Bellatrix still battled. They were poised to fight, her trepidation about hurting Lucius gone as her head throbbed painfully. However, Lupin jumped between them and yelled for them to go.

Once again, they grabbed Neville and hauled him up the benches. A jet of light landed by Harry's foot, creating a large crater and he slipped down onto the step below, Neville going with him. She tried to hold them up, but she wasn't strong enough to keep them standing. Neville put the prophecy in his pocket and tried to stand. Harry grabbed his arm and pulled but there was a loud ripping sound as Neville's robes tore and the small glass ball dropped from his pocket. Before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's feet kicked wildly, sending it soaring to their right where it smashed a few rows down. They watched, horrified by what had happened as the pearly white figure of Professor Trelawney emerged from the shattered glass. None of the others in the room seemed to notice, but it did not matter, as not a single word could be heard over the sounds of the battle. Soon, the figure vanished into nothingness.

Neville began apologizing profusely and Harry tried to reassure him that it didn't matter. Her heart skipped a beat with relief as Dumbledore emerged from one of the doorways. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help but feel like the situation was now in hand and they would all be saved.

As he descended, there were shouts as each of the Death Eaters noticed his presence. Pretty soon, the only two battling were Sirius and Bellatrix, their taunts echoing through the room. Sirius laughed at her as he dodged a jet of red light, but the second hit him directly in the chest. Her heart stopped as Sirius' eyes widened, mid-laugh. Harry was darting down the steps faster than she'd ever seen him move. Sirius fell with a surreal slowness, the shadows on his gaunt face highlighted. He passed through the veil and disappeared. She waited for the sound of a body hitting the ground, but there was nothing. Not even a whisper.

Her mind went blank. She heard a loud shriek, which she assumed was Bellatrix's. She was dimly aware of Harry yelling, but her brain couldn't quite process what she was hearing. She saw Harry and Lupin struggling with each other; Harry was desperate to get to Sirius. But there was no Sirius. She saw a large group of Death Eaters being wrangled by Dumbledore into a group in the middle of the room like cattle. Kingsley continued Sirius' battle with Bellatrix.

There was a roaring in her ears and suddenly she could only see one thing in the room. Bellatrix. She had hated her, even as a small child, as far back as she could remember. She was cruel, vicious, and certifiably insane. She had never liked Rowan. Rowan could deal with Bellatrix's dislike of her, but attacking her friends, her family, she couldn't tolerate that. In that moment she no longer cared about keeping up her role with the Death Eaters. She charged down the benches and Kingsley stepped in front of her. She assumed he was trying to reason with her, get her out of harm's way, but she heard none of it.

Bellatrix laughed at her and her head pounded. From the multiple traumas or the adrenaline, she couldn't be sure. Rowan sent spell after spell her way, none making contact. She dodged and blocked like some kind of twisted dance.

She used one her dad had taught her, screaming, "Sectumsempra!" This Bellatrix was unable to block and it grazed her side, her robes immediately blossoming a deep red. She screamed and shouted an incantation she wasn't familiar with.

Her world exploded and she felt herself hit the ground while everything went black.


	27. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

She woke up to the light burning her eyes. She recognized one of the rooms at St. Mungos' as her vision cleared. Head on his arms, George was asleep on the edge of her bed, next to her legs. She moved to nudge him and gasped in pain. It felt like her leg was on fire. George stirred and her heart leapt; thankfully that caused no more pain. George rubbed his eyes and stretched before noticing that she was awake.

"Rowan!" His entire face lit up and he made to grab her hand.

"Please don't," she whispered. "It'll hurt."

He pulled back as if shocked, "Let me get the nurse and let your dad know you're awake." He went into the hallway briefly.

When he returned, she asked, "He's here?"

"Yeah, he went to get some coffee. He hasn't left much since they brought you in," George said uncomfortably.

"How long have I been here? What happened?" she asked, remembering the night at the Department of Mysteries. With a jolt, she thought of Sirius. "Is Sirius really gone?" George nodded solemnly.

"You've been here for three days. It's Monday. Everyone else is okay; Tonks is here too; the other Order members were relatively unscathed. Ron and Hermione are confined to the hospital wing and the other kids are back to normal."

"What about the prophecy? The Death Eaters?"

Her dad spoke briskly, sweeping over to her "All of the Death Eaters present, Bellatrix aside, were taken into custody, though I doubt they'll remain there long, now that the dementors have stopped cooperating with the Ministry. The prophecy was smashed and no one was able to hear it. Now relax until the Healer comes back in to check on you."

He brushed a hand lightly over her forehead, as if checking her temperature. She felt slightly less sensitive, but it was still painful to move to quickly as she noted when she tried to wiggle her toes.

"You've improved a lot since yesterday, hopefully you'll be fully recovered in a few more days," he said, his forehead creasing like it always did when he was stressed. "Weas- George, give us a moment."

George seemed taken aback by the use of his first name and brushed his fingers as lightly over her hand as he could before stepping into the hallway.

"You really are going to be the death of me, you know that?" Dad said, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry." He seemed surprised by her abrupt apology. "I know I've complicated things. Not to mention, probably scared the piss out of you. So, I'm sorry for that, but you know I'd do it again if given the chance."

He sighed, "I know. I tried my best to combat Bellatrix's account of the night. I told the Dark Lord that I gave you the orders to remain on the side of the Order in order to retain our authenticity. He seems to be accepting it for now, but he may only be allowing it to slide for the time-being."

"Thanks Dad. I should probably increase my activity with the Death Eaters to seem less suspicious. Just a bit though, so it's not obvious." He nodded.

"School was always a good excuse for you to be less active, but soon enough it won't work," he said wistfully.

Her stomach dropped, "I missed the N.E.W.T. exams, didn't I?"

He gave a quick nod, but quickly continued, "Professor Dumbledore made an arrangement with the Ministry and they've arranged a special examination for you to take once you're fully recovered."

She grinned, "That's amazing! How did he manage that?"

"Well you were injured saving their department and they owe Dumbledore a few favors after this past year," he said shrewdly.

"I'll have to thank him. You didn't mention it to George, did you?"

"No, we didn't speak much, don't you want to tell him?" he said awkwardly.

"I want to keep it a secret until it's a sure thing. I'm certain I'll pass, but now just isn't the right time. I want to surprise him."

Before he could respond, the Healer finally arrived, hurrying through the door, followed by an anxious George. Her dad gestured for him to come in and they both stepped back to give the heavyset brunette room to work. She ran numerous tests, but she felt nothing, so she couldn't complain. She was given several potions to drink and after watching carefully to make sure she drank them all, the nurse stepped back and made a note on her clipboard.

"At the rate you're going you should be fully healed in two or three days," she said briskly. She exited the room, bustling to her next patient Rowan imagined. George resumed his place at her side and her dad left the room to inform everyone that she was awake and would be released in two days. George hesitantly reached for her hand.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt as much," she encouraged him.

Wrapping his fingers lightly around hers, he asked tentatively, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Whatever my dad did helped and those potions made everything kind of numb," she said, relaxing. "How long have you been here?

He smiled wryly, "Since about four in the morning Saturday."

"What about the shop?"

"Fred can handle it for a few days. We closed up yesterday so he could come visit too," George explained. "He'll probably close up early tonight to come now that you're awake." She felt a little guilty that they had been so worried about her. "Mum and Dad have been in quite a bit. A few Order members have been in to visit you and Tonks. Your dad didn't arrive until late Saturday morning but since then he hasn't left."

She couldn't think of much to say.

"I'm really glad you're okay," he said seriously. She smiled at him.

"What would you do without someone to pick on?" He grinned.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asked.

She made a face, "Not hospital food."

"Don't worry, I've got you covered." He briskly left the room and I heard a loud crack from the hallway. She sighed. She hadn't expected him to take off like that.

"Where did George get to?" her dad asked, sweeping back through.

"George, Dad? Not Weasley?" she teased, grinning. "He went to get some food."

Ignoring her jab, he took a seat on her left. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

She must have dozed off, because she came to when she heard several sets of footsteps. George returned, Fred in tow, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. George grinned, obviously pleased with himself, as he dramatically placed a covered plate on my side table. She grinned as he swept the lid off and the scent of Mrs. Weasley's cooking filled the room.

"George, you didn't have to make your mum cook for me," she said sheepishly.

"Nonsense dear, it was no trouble at all, I was happy to do it. I'm so glad you're feeling better," she said kindly.

"Thank you." she smiled and dug in, the smell of food igniting her hunger. The four Weasleys chatted quietly, her dad seeming out of place and awkward. They didn't stay long however, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley leaving once she was finished. Soon after, her dad said he had to return to the school, kissed her on the forehead and stepped out.

"I wish we hadn't missed out on the big fight," Fred said wistfully.

She raised her eyebrows, "I'm glad you did."

"But maybe if we had been there, we could've done something. You might not have gotten hurt and maybe we could've-"

"Let's not, okay? I'm just glad you guys are safe." she said, not wanting to hear about how they might have saved Sirius. The two of them nodded.

"We heard how you saved Ron from the brain," Fred gave her a nod. "Thanks."

"No thanks necessary." She went pink.

"Are you actually going to come back to the shop tonight George?" Fred asked.

"I think I'll stay one more night," George said thoughtfully.

"George, you should go home, sleep in your bed. I'll be fine on my own for a couple nights," she encouraged him. But he just shook his head.

"I'm staying," he said, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue.

She sighed, "I won't complain about having company, I'm just saying-"

"No."

Shortly after that, Fred left to get back the shop. She was more than ready to go back to sleep. She wanted to recover and take her exams as soon as possible.

"Hey," George whispered. "You still awake?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I love you." She didn't respond immediately, but shifted in her bed so there was just enough room for both of them.

"I love you too, now come up here, that can't be comfortable."

"You sure? It won't hurt you?"

"No, it doesn't hurt so much anymore, it'll make me feel better," she urged, grinning. He didn't require much more persuasion, climbing carefully next to her, making sure not to put too much pressure on her.

"Thanks Georgie," she said playfully, lightly elbowing his ribs.

"Anytime love."


	28. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The next two days dragged on, seemingly endless. Her dad went back to Hogwarts to finish the school year and George went back to the shop. The second day was the worst, the majority of her pain gone. She knew she was ready to be released and she was eager to get up and walk around, get out of bed. She was hoping for any kind of distraction to pass the time.

She took back her wish when Narcissa came in. She hurried in, head cast down, as if hoping no one would recognize her. She realized that Lucius had been among those captured by Dumbledore in the Ministry. He was in Azkaban. But she also remembered what her father had told her. Kreacher had lied to Harry about Sirius on Narcissa's orders. He was dead because of her.

Narcissa hurried over to hug her, but she couldn't meet her eyes and only felt uncomfortable.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better," she said shortly. She really didn't want to discuss the injuries that were inflicted by her sister.

"I'm sorry about what Bella did. She almost killed you," she said softly.

"I'm still here," she stated. Narcissa was quiet. "Sirius isn't," she finished. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Rowan-"

"I'm not asking you to justify it. Because quite frankly, you can't. I don't want an explanation; I want my family. Whole."

"You'll always have me," she said sadly.

"No, I won't. We're in a war, you can't promise me that, I can't even say that I have you now," she said harshly. Narcissa looked to be on the verge of tears. "I love you Nissa. You're like the mom I never had. But how long can we keep this up?"

She took a step back. Rowan could see that she had hurt her, which wasn't her intention. But there was no apology inside her to be mustered.

She went to the door and turned back, "I'm sorry." A tear spilled over as she said it, but she continued out the door and with a muffled crack, she was gone.

At about four, her dad arrived to take her back to school. He noticed immediately that something was wrong.

Sitting down next to her, he asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Narcissa visited me today," she said, her voice thick. He didn't say anything. "I said things that I probably shouldn't have." She recounted the conversation for him, feeling even worse saying those things a second time. He didn't say much after she finished, just sat for a moment, thinking.

"Things will work themselves out," he said quietly. Then he got up and left, presumably making arrangements for her to leave. She sighed. He returned soon with her assigned Healer and they began a thorough examination, making sure she could move uninhibited all that all of her vitals were normal. She was still mildly sore, but nothing worrisome, so she didn't mention it. There was no way she was jeopardizing her release.

The Healer agreed to allow her return home, advising her not to strain herself for at least a week or so. They left the hospital and quickly apparated to the school gates. She was ecstatic to be returning to an Umbridge-free Hogwarts. All that was left to do was take her N.E.W.T.s and enjoy the last few days of school.

"So, my N.E.W.T.s are set for tomorrow, right?" she asked anxiously. Her dad nodded. "Alright, I'm going to head up to the common room for some last-minute studying. I'll see you at dinner Dad." She hugged him and headed up the staircase. The common room was pretty barren, since most people were outside enjoying the nice weather and celebrating the end of the exams.

After an hour or two of studying, she took a break to stretch her legs and visit Ron and Hermione in the Hospital Wing. However, she'd had quite enough of hospitals, so it was a very brief visit. She went to dinner, but wasn't feeling much like talking at that point, so she sat in solitude. She wished the twins were here to cheer her up, but she quickly reminded herself that she would be joining them in Diagon Alley in only a few more days.

She ate very little and decided just to go to bed early tonight. Trotting up to the staff table, she got a few odd looks from students and staff alike, but she had to ask her dad for the details about her exams.

"What are the time and the place for my exams tomorrow? I'm heading to bed a little early tonight," she said briskly.

"Be in the empty classroom on the third floor at nine tomorrow morning. Don't be too nervous, you'll do fine," her dad said reassuringly. She gave him a small smile and headed back upstairs, eager to get to bed and to get her exams over with.

The next morning, she rolled over and grabbed her watch off the nightstand. 7:18 AM. She got dressed as slowly as possible, trying to take up as much time as she could. She trudged down for an early breakfast, cursing her tendency to wake up early when she was anxious. There were only a handful of students from each house in the Great Hall and maybe a third of the staff. Her dad was, of course, one of those present. Sometimes she wondered if he ever slept. She saw his eyebrows rise all the way from the doors and stifled a laugh. He knew she was far from an early riser. She grabbed a piece of toast and some scrambled eggs from the table and ate slowly, taking it easy on her dancing stomach.

Before she had finished, the next wave of students had arrived and for some reason the noise irritated her, so she left quickly. She couldn't afford to be irritable today. She still had an hour to kill, so she decided to take a bath to relax. She made the water a couple degrees hotter than was comfortable and sunk in, feeling her muscles relax in the heat. She closed her eyes and fought the urge to check her watch. Her will wasn't strong enough; she checked the time. 8:40. She breathed a sigh of relief. She could stop killing time. She hopped out and got dressed quickly, using a quick-dry charm to dry her hair. Hurrying to the unused classroom on the third floor, her anxiety vanished and she was eager to begin. Her instructor hadn't arrived yet, so she sat at the only desk in the room, a round table for one. She tapped her fingers on the desk, impatiently waiting for them to arrive. She checked her watch obsessively over the next five minutes until she heard footsteps in the corridor. She watched the doorway as Professor McGonagall led in a man with small spectacles and only a small bit of frizzy white hair left.

"Rowan, this is Professor Tofty, he will be administering your N.E.W.T. examinations," Professor McGonagall said professionally.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Snape," Professor Tofty said cheerfully.

"You too," she said politely.

"Shall we begin?" he asked. She nodded and Professor McGonagall wished her luck and left briskly.

Three hours later, she stood and stretched and Professor Tofty shook her hand.

"I'm astonished my dear, I can't say I've seen anything quite as remarkable as your magic in all my years. I believe you'll go on to do great things," he said, somewhat flustered. He couldn't seem to find words to express himself. She went red, but was pleased.

"Thank you, sir," she said with a proud smile. He squeezed her hand in one last shake and escorted her out of the room.

"You should get your results in early July, along with the rest of the students," he said cheerfully. "It has been a pleasure being your administrator. Now run along, enjoy the last of your free time."

"Thank you," she said quickly before dashing off. Her soreness had completely faded after a good night of sleep and her bath, so she hurried, unhindered, up to Professor Dumbledore's office. This part of her plan she had not discussed with her father.

Once she reached the stone gargoyle, she said eagerly, "Toffee éclair." She swirled up the staircase until she arrived at the large door to the headmaster's office. She knocked forcefully twice on the heavy door and waited.

She smiled a little when Professor Dumbledore's serene voice responded, "Enter."

She pushed the heavy door open, requiring a little more effort than she cared to admit.

"What can I help you with Miss Snape?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"I would like to apply for a student teaching position for next year. Presuming I've passed my N.E.W.T.s, of course," she said nervously.

He thought for a moment, "Which department are you interested in teaching?"

"Potions," she said without hesitation. She was sure of her choice now. Dumbledore gave a small smile, as if enjoying an inside joke.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I cannot be certain at this point what arrangements will be made for next year, as I must find yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but I don't believe it will be an issue for you," he smiled kindly. "In order to see this through, all I'll need from you will be a letter officially requesting your student teaching position and for you to arrive on September first as always.

She nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you. I'll get the letter to you as soon as possible and I'll see you next September, Professor." She smiled.

"Best of luck to you, my dear," he said stoically. She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but knew better than to try to figure it out. She was a little concerned though; if Dumbledore was wishing her luck, she was most likely going to need it.

Although they didn't know it, she celebrated what she assumed was a successful exam with Harry Neville, Luna, Ginny, and the newly released Ron and Hermione. They lounged around next to the lake, dipping their feet in the warm water, watching the giant squid float lazily through the water.

"I should probably tell you guys, there's a faint possibility that I won't be back next year."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, worried. "Why wouldn't you be back?"

"If the student teaching position doesn't work out, I'll be working the shop with the twins," she said, grinning.

"Student teaching position! What are you talking about?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Stop being dramatic and just tell us already!" Ron demanded impatiently.

"I took my N.E.W.T.s this morning. Assuming I get enough and nothing happens to make the position unavailable, I'll be studying under my dad to take over as Potions professor!" she said excitedly. Telling someone else made her even more excited. "But you guys can't let the twins get wind of this yet, so it's a secret. I'll tell them when the time is right. Just remember, if I get this position, I'm the boss of you guys next year," she grinned deviously.

When the sun started to sink, Ginny, Luna, and Neville headed back up to the castle. Ron, Harry and Hermione wanted to visit Hagrid now that he was back as well. They made sure Hagrid was doing well and got an update on Grawp, who she was very interested in. But it was getting late and they had to be up early for the train the next morning and she still had to pack. So, she said goodbye to everyone and headed back up to pack.

Mostly she just shoved everything haphazardly into her trunk; she was ready for tomorrow to come so she could see George again and finally get to see the shop.


	29. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The next morning, she opened her eyes groggily, but her stomach leapt when she realized that she would be joining the twins in Diagon Alley today. She quickly got dressed and made it halfway down the stairs before she realized her shirt was inside out. She met Lee in the common room and went to breakfast, chattering excitedly about the shop.

After breakfast, all of the students gathered outside the castle doors, waiting to begin boarding the train. The Hogwarts Express rolled up to the boarding area, the chugging sound dulling as it slowed. She grinned, but her stomach dropped when she realized that this would be her last ride aboard the scarlet train. She felt a bit of remorse, but not even that could make her forget her excitement about the summer and better yet, the next year to come. Voldemort was a looming dark cloud, but there was so much to look forward to.

She slipped through the crowd, eager to board the train. Standing at the head of the train was none other than the Headmaster himself, somehow managing to look cheery and grim at the same time. He was like an unsinkable ship being tossed around by a nasty storm.

"Miss Snape. I was pleased to receive your letter this morning. I look forward to seeing you back next year," he said with a smile. "There is one thing I should discuss with you, however. You must know, no matter how tempting it may seem to do otherwise; you must remain in good favor with the Dark Lord. Trust me when I say that it is in everyone's best interests, including your own, to retain your status in his ranks." He looked at her solemnly, "It will not be easy, but it is imperative that you remain steadfast." She nodded quickly.

"Of course, sir." He clasped her hand and gave it a brief shake before signaling the driver to open the cars and heading back up to the castle. She boarded the train and secured a compartment for the others and they all filed in, chatting cheerfully about their summer plans. They played Exploding Snap and she watched the countryside soar by, as the brightly colored fields slowly changed to dull ones and finally to the brick and mortar of Kings Cross Station.

She took her time getting her things together; she was in no rush, since she could apparate directly to the shop in only a few moments. She stepped off the train to say goodbye to everyone and was greeted by a mop of flaming red hair, a cocky grin, and a bouquet of roses. She dropped her things and ran over, her face lighting up in surprise. George shoved the flowers haphazardly into the arms of Lee, who just so happened to be standing nearest to him, and enveloped her in his arms. The subtle scent of licorice surrounded her and she felt immediately at home.


End file.
